Menu Challenge

My good friend Brian, a chef in Vancouver, and I decided on a little exercise in creativity. We're putting together a 7 course menu, both of us alternating between courses. Each course focuses on a different vegetable. Brian chose cauliflower for his first course and really wowed me...

...so, I felt the need to really up the ante with my own course. I decided on beets, in all their luscious glory, because they're one of my favorite vegetables, and also because they're very versatile. Using red, golden and chioggia beets, as well as young, tender beet greens, I created a dish that focused on the flavor of beets, but also sought to vary textures using raw beets and greens and a beet "soil." The resulting dish broke down as follows: roasted red beets; tarragon roasted golden beets; a raw cross-section of chioggia beet; raw beet greens; beet and almond "soil"; beet, apple and red wine reduction; tarragon golden beet oil; borage and pea flowers; micro arugala and amaranth.