Name: Baked blue-cheese cake with pickled beetroot and honey
Ingredients: 3 large beetroots (670g), skin on and scrubbed clean; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 bay leaf; 10g sprigs of thyme; ½ tsp black peppercorns; 50g caster sugar; 500ml red wine vinegar; salt; 40g unsalted butter, fridge-cold and cut into 2cm dice, plus 20g extra, melted, for greasing the moulds; 50g pumpkin seeds, toasted; 5 digestive biscuits (75g), roughly crumbled; 40g coarsely grated Parmesan; 20g unsalted butter; 1 medium leek, trimmed, white and green parts finely sliced (125g); 360g cream cheese; 170g creme fraiche; 80g double cream; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; 20g chives, finely chopped; 1 tbsp chopped basil; 100g stilton (or a mixture of 75g valdeon and 25g gorgonzola), roughly crumbled; 4 eggs, lightly beaten; 40g runny honey (mixed, optionally, with a few drops of truffle oil); 30g hazelnuts, toasted and lightly crushed; 15g baby basil or regular basil leaves

Main Vegetarian

Serves 8

Featured in

This is one of a handful of dishes which is always on the menu at NOPI. We’ve suggested using Stilton rather than the mix of Gorgonzola and Valdeón; Valdeón is a bold and salty Spanish blue with a distinctive strength, spice and complexity, but it’s not as easy to come by as Stilton. The pickled beetroot needs to be made the day before. It keeps for a few weeks in the fridge, so can be made well ahead of time. You’ll make more than you need for this recipe, so keep any leftovers in the fridge to spoon alongside grilled fish or cheese. If you are short on time, dicing some ready-pickled beetroot is a perfectly good substitute.

Ingredients

PICKLED BEETROOT
3	large beetroots (670g), skin on and scrubbed clean
2	garlic cloves, crushed
1	bay leaf
10g	sprigs of thyme
½ tsp	black peppercorns
50g	caster sugar
500ml	red wine vinegar
	salt
BASE
40g	unsalted butter, fridge-cold and cut into 2cm dice, plus 20g extra, melted, for greasing the moulds
50g	pumpkin seeds, toasted
5	digestive biscuits (75g), roughly crumbled
40g	coarsely grated Parmesan
CHEESE CAKE
20g	unsalted butter
1	medium leek, trimmed, white and green parts finely sliced (125g)
360g	cream cheese
170g	creme fraiche
80g	double cream
2	garlic cloves, crushed
20g	chives, finely chopped
1 tbsp	chopped basil
100g	stilton (or a mixture of 75g valdeon and 25g gorgonzola), roughly crumbled
4	eggs, lightly beaten
TO SERVE
40g	runny honey (mixed, optionally, with a few drops of truffle oil)
30g	hazelnuts, toasted and lightly crushed
15g	baby basil or regular basil leaves

Method

Place all the ingredients for the pickled beetroot in a medium saucepan, for which you have a lid, and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Pour over 800ml of water – all the beetroots should be submerged, so add a little bit more water, if you need to – and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 35–40 minutes, covered, until soft. Remove from the heat and set aside until completely cool. Lift out the beetroots, then peel and cut them into 1cm dice. Strain the pickling liquid, discard the bay, thyme and peppercorns, and return the liquid to a medium heat for about 25 minutes, until reduced by half and with about 600ml left in the pan. Set aside to cool, then pour the liquid over the beetroots. Keep in the fridge for 24 hours before using.
Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Lightly grease eight 12cm wide ramekins or soufflé tins and place a circle of baking parchment in the base of each.
Place all the ingredients for the cheese cake base in a food processor, with ½ teaspoon of salt. Blitz well to form fine crumbs, then divide between the ramekins, pressing down evenly and firmly. Set aside until ready to use.
Place the butter for the cheese cake in a small pan and add the leek. Cook on a medium heat for about 7 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the leek is soft but still retains its colour. Set aside to cool, then transfer to a large mixing bowl along with the cream cheese, crème fraîche, double cream, garlic, chives, basil, ½ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Mix well to form a smooth paste before adding the blue cheese and eggs. Fold gently, then pour the mixture into the individual ramekins. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the mixture is cooked and a skewer inserted into the middle of one of the cakes comes out clean. Remove from the oven and serve at once, in the ramekins or soufflé tins, with a drizzle of the honey and the hazelnuts and basil sprinkled on top. The beetroot, strained, can be spooned on top of the cheese cakes, before the garnishes, or served alongside.