Those of you who visit us at the Argyle and/or Blanchardville Farmers Markets know that we love to make up Veggie Muffin recipes for whatever bake-able crop is in season. And if you've been to a Farm-to-Table Dinner out here, you know we like to do the same with rich cake desserts. This week, we took our Farm Kitchen on the road - well, really just down the street - to Folklore Village outside of Dodgeville. We made the final dinner at their recent Sustainability Festival and we put this stunning dessert dish on the table for our finale!
The Beet-Red Velvet Brownie itself is pretty amazing - almost more like a fudge or flourless torte, though it does contain some flour. And here we floated it on a bed of Aronia Coulis and topped it with Raspberry Puree and Lemon Zest Goat Cheese. Yeah, a bit over the top - but why not!? There was a square dance following the meal at Folklore Village so everyone worked it off.
The Beet-Red Velvet Brownie itself is pretty amazing - almost more like a fudge or flourless torte, though it does contain some flour. And here we floated it on a bed of Aronia Coulis and topped it with Raspberry Puree and Lemon Zest Goat Cheese. Yeah, a bit over the top - but why not!? There was a square dance following the meal at Folklore Village so everyone worked it off.
| Once baked, this stunning fuschia batter turns a bit more chocolate-colored, but here's the proof that this delicious dessert is, in fact, mostly beets! Of course, beets are naturally pretty sweet, which allowed us to come up with a quite low-sugar recipe. Also - we knew we'd load this up with raspberries and aronia syrup, so we wanted a not-so-sweet base. We started with a Martha Stewart Mahogany Velvet Cupcake recipe and removed sugar, added cocoa and nearly doubled the beets. We also roasted them first for more beet flavor and less water. Turned out quite well. |  |
BEET-RED VELVET BROWNIES
1 c flour
3/4 c sugar
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 c buttermilk or yogurt
1/4 c olive oil
2 lg eggs
1 tsp white vinegar
2 c roasted beets, chopped in 1 inch pieces
Toss flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and baking soda together in large bowl. In food processor, whiz together remaining ingredients until beets are quite smooth. Add liquids to powders and mix just until combined. Pour in 9 by 13 pan (or a smaller one if you want thick cake) and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until more or less done. Cool completely before attempting to remove, unless you want to eat it warm and doughy, which is totally legit. This recipe would work well in a 10-inch springform pan if you want to serve it whole rather than plated. Texture would be a bit similar to a cheesecake if you stopped baking at 20 minutes.
Enjoy topped with fruit puree, whipped cream, ice cream or frosting. I sourced aronia berries from my neighbors at Barham Gardens . I cooked down several quarts of berries, mashed and strained them and added enough sugar to make a syrup.
1 c flour
3/4 c sugar
1/3 c unsweetened cocoa
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
1/2 c buttermilk or yogurt
1/4 c olive oil
2 lg eggs
1 tsp white vinegar
2 c roasted beets, chopped in 1 inch pieces
Toss flour, sugar, cocoa, salt and baking soda together in large bowl. In food processor, whiz together remaining ingredients until beets are quite smooth. Add liquids to powders and mix just until combined. Pour in 9 by 13 pan (or a smaller one if you want thick cake) and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes until more or less done. Cool completely before attempting to remove, unless you want to eat it warm and doughy, which is totally legit. This recipe would work well in a 10-inch springform pan if you want to serve it whole rather than plated. Texture would be a bit similar to a cheesecake if you stopped baking at 20 minutes.
Enjoy topped with fruit puree, whipped cream, ice cream or frosting. I sourced aronia berries from my neighbors at Barham Gardens . I cooked down several quarts of berries, mashed and strained them and added enough sugar to make a syrup.
