My daughter Meghan waited tables for a while at Eartha’s Restaurant, a long-time Saratoga Springs eatery (formerly Eartha's Kitchen) that closed its doors for the final time a couple of years ago. On occasional cold winter nights, I’d briskly walk from my apartment on Franklin Street, down Broadway and through Congress Park to the warmth of the small but elegant restaurant on Court Street. Hesitant to go back out into the cold, I would sit for a while, order my favorites from the appetizer menu, and visit with Meghan while she worked. Eartha’s menu was lovely, and I especially enjoyed the pureed red pepper soup. For dessert, the crème brulee was outstanding. My favorite appetizer there, though, was a beautiful salad of beets, gorgonzola, and toasted walnuts on a bed of spring greens. Eartha’s dressed the salad in a beet vinaigrette, something I’d never had before, but loved. The crunch of the walnuts, the cool creaminess of the cheese, and the sweet and sour of the beets with their vinaigrette all harmonized so beautifully that I can’t tell you what part of the salad I liked best – it was a whole, happy salad experience!
In searching for a recipe for this special salad’s communion of flavors, I found a great example at bigoven.com. Big Oven is a terrific site, which seems to cater to professional chefs, but the enthusiastic amateur cook (like me) can find plenty of inspiration as well. It’s my new favorite web wonderland of food exploration!
Click on the icon below to discover Big Oven’s recipe for Beet, Walnut, and Gorgonzola Salad:
Photo credit: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.vancouverseedbank.ca/catalog/images/chioggia_beets.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.vancouverseedbank.ca/catalog/index.php%3Fmanufacturers_id%3D25&usg=__YLEhfwOxL8FK-TvsjX0arkVgZP4=&h=374&w=397&sz=54&hl=en&start=15&tbnid=6WrdjO9l7fY3dM:&tbnh=117&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbeets%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG
