It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of the wine and wood-fired power duo of Mary Cressler and Sean Martin. Together, the two form Ember and Vine, and Mary also posts drool-worthy recipes (and some hard-core food porn videos) on her Vindulge site.
They cooked for our first anniversary Memorial Day Open House, we’ve showcased their recipe for Pinot Noir BBQ Sauce (works fantastic with our 2015 Titan Pinot Noir), and they created a five-course culinary masterpiece for our first-ever winemaker dinner this past April.
One of Mary’s insanely delicious creations for that dinner was the second course: a Grilled Beet Salad with Rosé Infused Cranberries and Smoked Bacon (pictured above). Here’s what she said about developing the recipe:
…at an event we catered for Bells Up Winery, we made this exact dish as one of the courses in the 5-course winemaker dinner. It was a huge success. We designed it to pair with their Rosé — a dry and fruity wine with lots of red berry characteristics and some citrus. We decided to play with the flavors by infusing some dried cranberries in the wine, then adding some smoked bacon (at first because the winemaker requested bacon at the dinner, but we realized it was an INCREDIBLE addition to the salad).
(For the record, the winemaker technically asked for bacon in every course. Just bacon. Nothing else.)
[recipe title=”VINDULGE RECIPE: Grilled Beet Salad with Rosé Infused Cranberries and Smoked Bacon”]
Prep Time: 1 hr
Mary Cressler, the genius behind this amazing recipe, caught behind the grill at our April 2018 Winemaker Dinner.
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup rosé wine (Mary recommends a dry rosé—WE recommend 2017 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir)
- 6 medium-large golden beets (or 8 smaller ones)
- 3 slices thick cut bacon
- 2 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons lemon, juiced (approx 1/2 a lemon)
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper (only 3 turns of the grinder)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, thin shavings
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Place the dried cranberries in a small bowl and pour rosé over them until submerged. If the bowl is small enough you should only need about 1/4 cup of rosé. Pour a glass for yourself to sip on while these infuse.
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Let them infuse for a minimum of 2 hours, and up to 24 hours. Best to do the day before.
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Best to smoke at 250 degrees (F) using fruit wood, until crispy (about 2 hours). Alternatively you can grill them next to the beets (but they will cook much quicker at a high temperature).
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Place beets on a baking sheet and place on the grill on a high heat (ideally 425 degrees), until soft. You can test softness using a digital thermometer, by placing the probe into the flesh of the beet to see if it is soft (but not as soft as butter or mashed potatoes). Remove and let cool enough to handle, then remove the skins.
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Assemble your dressing. Place all dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.
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Prep grill for high, direct, heat.
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Remove the beets from the marinade (but save the rest of the liquid use as a dressing later). Place on the grill, on direct heat, to get a nice char on each side (approx 2 mins per side).
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Remove from grill, and slice into bite sized cubes.
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Place the beets in a serving dish, top with the rosé infused cranberries, chopped bacon, shaved parmesan cheese, and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Toss to combine. Serve and enjoy!
For the video and photos we served the salad in individual portions. Start with about 1/2 cup of the cubed beets, add 1 tablespoon chopped bacon, 1/2 tablespoon cranberries, one large shaving of parmesan cheese, and a small drizzle of the dressing/marinade.
If taking to a party or summer backyard cookout: Roast your beets and place them in the marinade. Finish grilling the beets at the cookout. Then construct the rest of the salad at the location of the party.
[/recipe]
Now, here’s the bad news…
We are almost SOLD OUT of the 2017 Prelude Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir. Which means, if you don’t get yours now, you’ll have to make Mary’s recipe with some other rosé. And it just won’t be the same. You’ll be disappointed. And we can’t have that. So contact us today by phone (503-537-1328) or email (info@bellsupwinery.com) to reserve your bottles today.
