“Almonds Beet Cheese” Salad

Rest assured, you will never come across a Hot Knives recipe for cashew cheese nachos. That’s just not something we’re OK with — fake cheese in general, and nacho cheese especially.
That said, we’re sick of being barred from improving upon the now-completely-cliché “goat cheese and beet” salad. So we went ahead and tried out our own version of a beet salad, using freshly pulsed almond paste in place of chevre. Much like our runny polenta replacement for Hollandaise, this creamy substance doesn’t much taste like the hay-feed funk of a slightly stanky goat’s cheese, but it does a damn good job of a) holding shape in plated presentation b) complimenting the distinct roasty, earthy flavor of a beet c) blandly playing off of whatever flavor you wanna give it.
Here we whipped blanched almonds with some coconut milk and a little lavender. Next up, watch for our nutty, beer-spiked version of a past-its-prime smoked gouda (it’s intense).
Yes, Alex is plating this salad in front of a microphone in the picture below. And no, we’re not suggesting you contact mic your salad ingredients. Right now we are putting together an exclusive Hot Knives Podcast, so we can invade your kitchen WHILE you’re actually cooking. Coming (very) soon!

Almond “Chevre”

1/2 lbs. raw almonds
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. lavender leaves
Sea salt and fresh black pepper
Filtered water (as needed)
1. Place your almonds, skins still on, in a deep bowl and cover with boiling water. Let them sit for 8-10 minutes (it’s ok to steep them this long because you want them a little mushy, not perfectly crisp like most recipes call for). Once the water is just cool enough, start peeling off the skins to reveal blanches white almonds. Drain and dump in your blender or food processor.
2. Pulse your almonds while slowly adding the coconut milk. Mixture should become liquidy enough that it is stirred by the blender. Continue to pulse while pouring in the oil and lavender, salt and pepper. Finally, add cold water if needed to further liquefy the mixture. The product should be spreadable, roughly the texture of a whipped cream cheese.

Dill Vinaigrette

1 bunch dill
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs. white balsamic, or sherry vinegar
1 tsp. water
1. In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium. Separate the dill bunch into two equal piles.
2. Toss half of the dill into the oil and quickly sauté for under 10 seconds (just to bring out color and flavor). Remove and empty oil and dill into your food processor. Add light-colored vinegar of your choice, the remaining dill and some sea salt to taste. Pulse unto smooth, green and consistent. Add a dash of water, about 1 tsp. if needed. Set aside.

Stacked Beet Salad

2 beets
1 fennel bulb
1/4 vermouth or red wine
3-4 shallots, chopped
sea salt
1. Start by boiling your beets: Bring a pot of water to a boil and toss in beets. Let cook for 8-10 minutes or until a fork sticks into them easily. Remove, drain and cool with ice cubes or running water.
2. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the gnarly brown skin, revealing perfect, raspberry colored beets. Set aside.
3. In a sauté pan, toast the shallots for 1-2 minutes and douse with half the vermouth, or red wine (we prefer vermouth if you have it, but the red wine will add a nice color and stronger flavor). Slice the fennel into thin ribbons (using a sharp knife or a mandolin) and toss in the pan. Braise the fennel for about 10 minutes, adding the remaining liquor as needed. Then salt and remove.
4. Slice the beets into 4-6 circular pieces each, like thick, evenly cut potato chips. Finally stack your salad, placing a beet slice down, followed by a spoonful of almond paste and so until you have a stack of red and white layers. Save the pointy top of the beet for the last slice. Serve on a long plate with fennel salad on the other side and dill dressing drizzled on both components.
Beverage: Cantillon Gueuze
Soundtrack: Lee Scratch Perry’s “White Belly Rat”