Being Adventurous and Trying New Things - Golden Beet Butter

I love trying new things and doing new things with some of my favorite foods. One of my favorite foods is beets. Yes I know, not everyone loves them, but then most folks only know of them out of a can. Blech.

Fresh beets are different, very different! There are many varieties and many ways to prepare them. And I love them all. But once upon a time I wasn't a beet lover. My palate changed as I grew older and had a friend have me try his borscht. Well, that little bowl of beautiful red borscht changed my outlook on beets forever. And it seems I can't get enough of them sometimes.

You'd be surprised how many foods you probably eat daily that has beets in them, V8 is one of the ones that comes to mind.

However, aside from my nattering on about beets, I tried something new today. I made a recipe that I found on Pinterest, but changed it a bit for myself and whatever my creative mind decided I wanted it to be.

And yes, you can can it if you'd like or make some for yourself, (yeah after you taste it you may not want to share it) or for a party. I think it'd be fab with goat cheese, or plain on a cracker or piece of crusty french bread, or as the nutella commercial notes, "SPOONS!"

This is before I canned it....

Then I tasted it, and thought I'd found nirvana! I really did moan, it was silky and delicious! I think the color from the gold beets is gorgeous, (imagine using the red or candy cane beets!) and was simple to make! However, I will note, if you make enough to can (3 x the amounts and you'd get 7 half pints and little more), don't forget the maple syrup. Though if I'd thought of it earlier, I would have used the beet syrup I made after boiling the beets from the water in lieu of maple syrup. Maple can be pretty strong flavored, and gold beets have a delicate sweet flavor on their own.

Ok, here goes....

Golden Beet Butter

4 good sized golden beets, scrubbed and trimmed slightly
2 cups lightly roasted macadamia nuts, chopped
4 Tbl grapeseed oil
4 Tbl maple syrup (or use the beet syrup you make with the water)
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp sea salt

Boil the beets with just enough water to cover them, until they are fork tender, 30-45 mins approximately. Using a slotted spoon remove them from the pot and put them into cold water. Let them cool until you can easily handle them. While you wait, strain the water and measure the amount and put into another sauce pot. Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar to the water and bring to a boil then simmer to make a simple syrup.
Peel your beets and chop them.
In your food processor, process the macadamia nuts and grapeseed oil until smooth and buttery. Add the beets and keep processing until smooth scraping down the sides as needed. Add the salt, vanilla and drizzle in the syrup.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge if you're going to serve it right away.

If you plan to can it, fill, hot sterile half pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Seal with hot lids and process in the pressure canner for 35 minutes. Let the pressure release on it's own, when the pressure has gone down, remove the jars from the canner and let cool on a towel.

Please note again, if you're canning it, you do need to use the syrup, but the syrup can be omitted if you're going to use it at your party or snack on it.

And yes, beet syrup is beautiful, use it in your iced tea, to flavor water or even flavor baked goods too! This is my syrup.... I LOVE the color and it smelled so wonderful!