Colorful salad on yellow beetroot, with sugar beet bread and feta balls

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 6 yellow beets, each approx. 6 cm in diameter
• 400 g baby leaf lettuce
• 1 pomegranate
• 200 g sprouts, mixed
• 20 ml balsamic vinegar, slightly sweet, e.g. rose-apricot balsam
• 1 shallot(s)
• ½ tsp chives
• ½ tsp fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp pumpkin seed oil
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, lighter
• 1 tsp mustard, sweet
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 pinch of lemon zest
• salt and pepper
• 200 g pecans
• 2 packs of feta cheese (cow’s milk cheese)
• 1 pack of cream cheese
• ½ tsp lemon zest
• Salt
• Lemon pepper
• 1 cube of fresh yeast
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 80 g brown sugar
• 250 ml water, lukewarm
• 450 g wheat flour type 405
• 335 g wheat flour type 550
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 ½ tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened
• 25 g honey
• 2 tbsp beet syrup
• 1 egg(s)
• Flour for the work surface
• 50 ml water, cold, for brushing
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 2 hours; Rest time approx. 2 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 5 hours

from the show “The Perfect Dinner” on VOX from 24.11.2020

Cook the beets for 30 minutes, until soft but still slightly firm on the inside. Drain, rinse with cold water, and set aside. Meanwhile, wash and dry the lettuce, and tear it into bite-sized pieces. Cut open the pomegranate and remove the seeds from the core in a bowl of cold water. Wash the sprout mix. For the dressing, finely chop the shallot and herbs. Whisk together the oil, vinegar, mustard, water, and lemon zest. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shallot and herbs. The dressing should have a slightly sweet and savory flavor. To serve, finely slice the beets and arrange them in a circle on the plate. Brush the rose and apricot balsamic dressing over the beets. Place the lettuce in the center of the circle and top with about 1 teaspoon of the sprout mix. Finally, spoon the dressing over the salad. For the feta balls, briefly toast the pecans in a pan without fat until the nuts begin to smell fragrant and are lightly browned. Then chop them into small pieces in a blender or by hand with a knife. Place them on a plate or in a bowl and set aside. Crumble the feta into small pieces in a bowl. Season with cream cheese, lemon zest, pepper, and salt, and season to taste. Form the feta mixture into small balls about 2 cm in diameter and roll them in the pecans. Set the “breaded” balls aside. For the bread, dissolve the yeast and sugar in lukewarm water and let stand for about 10 minutes. The liquid will start to form bubbles. Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients and place them in a mixing bowl. Add the egg, honey, butter, and syrup and mix the ingredients with a dough hook. Slowly add the yeast water and knead the dough for at least 5 minutes. The dough should form into a smooth ball and pull away from the edges. If it is still too sticky, add flour. Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for at least 2 hours. If necessary, place it in an oven preheated to approximately 40°C until it has significantly doubled in size. On a floured work surface, shape the dough into 4 equal-length logs and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Let the dough rise again for about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 170°C (top/bottom heat). Place the baking tray in the oven and bake the loaves for about 25-30 minutes, until the dough has visibly risen and is baked through. Check the base of the loaf. If it is baked and the loaf can be easily removed from the tray, it is done. About 10 minutes before the end of the baking time, mix the 50 ml of water with the remaining salt in a small bowl. Brush it onto the loaves to give them a nice shine. Then continue baking for the remaining 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Nathalie prepared this recipe as an appetizer on the show “The Perfect Dinner” – Day 2 from Aschaffenburg on Tuesday, November 24, 2020.