Roasted Beet Salad

Ingredients:
1½ Cup Walnuts
¼ Cup Honey
2 Oz Sherry Vinegar
1 Cup Walnut Oil
1½ Cup Sugar
Vegetable Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Tblsp Goat Cheese
½ Oz Crumbled Goat Cheese
1 Red Beet
1 Yellow Beet
Raspberry and Red Wine Vinegar (Optional)
3 Oz Mixed Greens
Croutons (Optional)
Salt and Pepper (To Taste)

Method of Preparation Walnut Vingaigrette:
Toast ½ cup walnuts in oven at 350° for 4 minutes. Mix walnuts with honey and sherry vinegar. Add walnut oil and mix. Set aside.

Method of Preparation Candied Walnuts:
Toast 1 cup walnuts in oven at 350° for 4 minutes (this will bring out the oil in the nuts and increase their flavor). In a medium size pot, combine sugar with 2 cups of water. Set on medium/high heat and let the sugar dissolve. DO NOT stir; just make sure there is no sugar stuck to the side of the pot above the water line. You want to cook this down to a slightly thickened syrup. Turn the syrup on low heat and immediately add the walnuts. Stir to coat the walnuts evenly. Drain excess syrup and place nuts on a nonstick surface. In a small pot, heat vegetable oil to 275°. Fry the nuts in batches for 30 seconds. Set aside.

Method of Preparation Goat Cheese Fondue:
Heat heavy cream in pot until it is reduced to ½ cup. Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons goat cheese. Blend with a small hand mixer until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper.

Method of Preparation Beets:
If using fresh beets, poach them whole and unpeeled in salt water until fork can be inserted into the beet with little resistance. Once cooked, let cool and peel. Slice yellow beet and set aside. Cut wedges out of red beet (optional: let wedges marinate in raspberry and red wine vinegar for a few hours).

Presentation:
Spread the yellow beets in the center of the plate. Place the red beet wedges around the yellow beets. In bowl, combine ½ oz crumbled goat cheese and mixed greens. Add the walnut vinaigrette and season with a little salt and pepper. Toss salad and place in center of plate. Drizzle goat cheese fondue on top. Top off with croutons and finish by drizzling a little extra virgin olive oil around the edge of the plate.

From the kitchens of the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel