When one of the vendors at the Brookline Farmer’s Market said that he had pulled the beets just that morning, he definitely had my attention.  Normally, I  roast beets, although last year I grilled beets as well.  This time I decided to try boiling them.  After simmering in water for about 40 minutes, the skins slipped right off.

Since I had a little time on my (beet stained) hands, I wanted to do somthing a little more interesting.  I found this recipe for a Blueberry Balsamic Reduction.  I happened to have blueberries on hand, and the recipe is as easy as putting a few ingredients in a pot and letting them simmer for a while.  I didn’t even use a blender since the cooked sauce was already fairly smooth.  I placed the sliced beets on a bed of fresh lettuce, and topped them with the sauce as well as chopped walnuts and fresh Paremsan.

This made an excellent salad, although the sauce was perhaps a bit too sweet on top of the beets which were sweet as well.  The original recipe suggested that the sauce could be paired with goat cheese.  Since the next meal to roll around was Happy Hour, I spread some goat cheese on a baguette, with a dollop of  Blueberry Balsamic sauce.  Oooh, now that was really good.  (And not just because it was served with wine.)

If the farmer hadn’t talked about his freshly harvested beets, I never would have bought them, and then discovered this sauce.  The best cooking inspiration always comes from talking about food!

• appetizers