Roasted Golden Beet Tart - Foodbuzz Fest Part Two

I couldn't find a T-Shirt that read; "ShowFood Chef Went to FoodBuzz Festival and All I Got Was This T-Shirt". So instead, I'm giving you this recipe that was inspired by one of the exquisite courses prepared for our Gala Dinner.

My Roasted Golden Beet Tart
w/Balsamic Candied Red Beets & Arugula

I really enjoyed the dinner catered by Paula LeDuc Fine Catering in San Francisco. I was amazed at the consistently well-cooked scallops and lamb. Those are not easy to cook well for a crowd. Everything was presented so beautifully and paired perfectly with Bonny Doon wines.

Here's part #2 of my first FoodBuzz Blogger Festival that includes a dinner recap along with pics of the fun. If you weren't there, hopefully I'll make you feel like you were, then leave you with a nice Roasted Golden Beet Tart recipe to make on your own:

Saturday morning began with several casual breakout sessions:
I attended the Video Blogging session with ChezPim, RhodeyGirl and FoodWishes. The biggest take-away from the session was a renewed sense of ambition - just do it, go for it, try new things.

I also attended the Writing session lead by three of my favorite bloggers: SaltySeattle, Sippity Sup and FoodWoolf. In the session we were encouraged to stretch our brains and creativity further, to stay away from the over used words to describe food (awesome, tasty, delicious, yummy). We were also given a chance to play in a Twitter game during the Tasting Pavilion: tweet a 140 characters (or less) comment about the food without using any of the forbidden words. Guess what? I won $100.00 with a winning tweet that admittedly was pushing not only creativity, but rating's boundaries (according to my mom.) I'll still include the tweet under the picture of its inspiration. (See if you can guess my winning words.)

Just about the time I was getting hungry, I attended the Alaskan Seafood session and met this guy:
He would be fish cakes in the hands of the gorgeous and adorable Mary Sue Milliken of Border Grill, etc. fame.
She turned salmon and halibut into these tantalizing teasers -
...but we could only take pictures and not eat until later at the Pavilion.
Once, at the Metreon, we enjoyed the sky-high views of San Francisco and blogger-blabbered in the sunshine until they opened the doors.
Once the chow-bell rang, all food heaven broke loose:Poached Gulf Prawns And Chile-Gazpacho from the Waterfront Hotel.

Prather Ranch Meats - "Whiskey soaked maple sausage - hello, are you dating anyone?"

Several Food Bloggers were giving demos for recipes that had won them a spot in the Tasting Pavilion (including Julie from Willowbird Baking and Josie from DayDreamer Desserts. )

Cream of mushroom from Americano at Hotel Vitale.

Mission Minis cupcakes…
Olive Oil with Meyer Lemon that really shined from WeOlive.com, Inna Jam and
Go Pop Candy found on Foodzie.com along with many of the artisan foods that popped.

After a quick rest (AKA: more drinks in the lobby bar) it was time for the Gala Dinner presented by Cooking Channel and wines by Bonny Doon Vineyard.

Our first course (also the inspiration for my recipe)-

Roasted Golden Beet Tart
Crimson beet, Feta, Currants & Basil Puree
(paired with 2009 Bonny Doon Ca'del Solo Albarino)

Seared Scallops w/Braised Fennel and Fried Fonds
(w/Bonny Doon Vineyard Verjus Beurre Blanc)

Our next course (not pictured) was a Rosemary Garlic Infused Rack of Lamb w/Wild Mushrooms and Butternut Squash Puree (paired with 2006 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Volant).

Dessert: Tarta de Almendras
w/ Orange and garnished with a toasted Parmigiano nest.

(paired with 2008 Bonny Doon Vineyard Vinferno)

Good Food and wonderful people - they're hard to forget. Blogging is one way to journal about moments and meals that you want to share. I loved the idea of Show and Tell in school, it always gave me a chance to see into my class mates lives and personalities beyond the playground and tiled world of plastic desks.

Show Food Chef is my way of letting you (when you have time and desire) into my world. This week I wanted to develop a recipe that captured the taste of the mellow tart served to me during the Gala Dinner. This is NOT their recipe, but I have to say it was damn good. I hope you have the chance to try it.

RECIPE: Roasted Golden Beet Tart -

Classic 3-2-1 Pastry Dough for pie shell *(See below)

3 Golden Beets (roasted - see instructions)
3 Tbls. Buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. lemon zest
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
4 oz. goat cheese (room temp)
[Makes 4 6inch tarts or 1 9inch tart]

1) Wash and cut the Golden Beets in half. Place cut side down into a baking dish. Pour in 1/4 cup water, cover with foil and roast the beets for about 40 minutes at 350F (or until fork tender).
2) Remove from oven, uncover and let rest/cool for a few minutes. Peel the tender beets and cut into large chucks.
3) Put the beet cubes into a food processor and puree.
4) Add the buttermilk, eggs, zest, cinnamon, salt & pepper.
5) Puree together until a smooth custard
6) Pour beet custard into a bowl and stir in the goat cheese until just incorporated.
When the pie or tart shells are ready and prebaked, pour the beet custard into the shells and bake at 350F for about 20-30 minutes, depending on size of tarts or pie. They are ready when the center of the custard is just set and not loose. Remove and cool for a few minutes before carefully taking out of pans.

Serve with lightly dressed Arugula on top, and garnished with candied red beets or a drizzle of cilantro glaze.


Classic 3-2-1 Pie Dough:

1 1/2 cups AP Flour
pinch of salt
1/2 cup cold butter
5-8 Tbls. iced water

1) In a food processor - pour in flour and salt, then add the butter cubed. Pulse to cut in the butter, just until its small pea-size bits.

2) Pulse in the water a little at a time just until the dough starts to hold together.

3) Remove dough to floured board and using palm of one hand, push dough forward and then pull into a ball (about 2 times only). Divide dough into halves, form a disk, wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

4) Roll each disk out between plastic wrap, removing and sprinkling with tiny bit of flour as needed to roll easier.
When the dough is rolled, cut into size as needed for tart or pie pan and place in pan.

5) Chill the pie shells for about 30 minutes (this helps keep them thin and solid when baking).

6) Cover the bottom of pie shell with parchment and fill with pie weights or beans. Bake in 350F oven for about 10-15 minutes (depending on size of pans). It should not brown, but just get a nice pre-baked texture to help prevent soggy crust when filled.

7) Fill pie/tart shells and bake as instructed by your recipe.
Thanks for stopping by - let me know your thoughts :D