The Beet Can't Be Beat

Finally, my last beet dish is ready, and it did not come without a price and a great sacrifice.  And to that end, I must take a moment to say a few words about a good friend:

It is with a heavy heart that I bid farewell to a close friend I've had for almost six years. We've been through the good, the bad, and the nasty together. But, last night proved to be too much for him and he died on me. I'm sure that it was just your time, but I can't help but feel that your demise is partially my fault because of all of the stress I put on you. Fare thee well, my good Black and Decker 12 Speed Cyclone Blender. Even though I have other blenders, they will never take your place.  Thank you for tackling the frozen beets I threw at you last night.  What you were able to do helped me make a very beautiful and tasty beet sorbet.  When I had to pull out another blender to finish the job that you could not, know that my heart wrenched each time I hit the pulse button.  Thank you for your years of faithful service.  It doesn’t matter how many other blenders are awaiting me in the future.  Know that whenever I hit the pulse button, I’ll always be thinking of you. 

Remnants of my cyclone blender.  Gone, but never forgotten.

All joking aside, I really did love that blender. It made the most pathetic sound trying to handle those frozen beets.  (I roasted all of the beets, but froze two of them hoping to puree them into a smoothie like consistency.) I used an immersion blender to finish the job.  I didn't want to risk putting those beets in my other, regular blender.  Below is a pic of the beet sorbet.  Actually, it’s more of a sorbet/granita.  I don’t have an ice cream maker anymore, so I flaked the ice crystals with a fork throughout the freezing process, then smoothed it out when I added the last batch of juice to it.  So you kind of get the best of both worlds. It’s silky on the tongue, but has some sweet, icy, crystals as well.  I absolutely love it!

Beet Sorbet/Granita

For those who may be a bit anti-beet, I think trying it in a frozen dessert would be a great way to try it.  The flavor is unmistakably of beets, but it’s mellowed out but the other ingredients used to compliment them. To the frozen beets, I added sugar-free pomegranate flavored sparkling water, low sugar orange juice, orange zest, apple sauce, light apple juice, fresh mint, salt and black pepper.  There’s only two words that I can think of that describe this dessert: astonishingly refreshing.  I will DEFINITELY make this again in the spring or summer.

So, that’s all she wrote for beets this go round!   On to “C!”