Aren't they cute? It's like a little, spiky-haired beet family.
I even researched the proper way to cook them- wrap in aluminum foil and roast for 60-90 minutes at 400 degrees. After they cool, the skin an hair can be pulled off easily with a paper towel.
The good news is that the process worked. Beets = cooked and ready to go.
The bad news is that the peeling process left me with a cookie sheet full of carnage.
Who's up for some car accident delite?
The other thing is that beets STINK. Ew. I had planned to make a salad with the beets and take it to a potluck we went to last night, but I just couldn't inflict these stinky, rubbery things on people in their natural form. Time for plan B.
Daniel's mom suggested beet brownies, which had two points in their favor. 1. They would use up the beets and 2. They involve chocolate. After doing a bit of internet searching, I found this recipe, which looked like it would do the job. Not too many recipes out there for beet brownies. Imagine that?
So the nasty beets went for a ride in the food processor and were dumped in the blender with sugar and eggs.
Then comes the secret ingredient: Jello pudding mix.
The only way this desert could get more Midwestern is if it somehow involved Ritz Crackers.
No one will ever know...
Now no one will really ever know...
So what was the verdict? They were kind of cakey and floppy compared to real brownies. I think that had to do with the fact that the recipe didn't use any oil. A few people ate them at the potluck but we took most of the leftovers down the the high school youth group meeting, where they were devoured in seconds by a pack of wild 10th graders. I saved two big pieces for us to sample later. I don't think Daniel ate his yet because he had a watermelon, which trumps all other deserts for him. I thought they were okay. They tasted mostly like chocolate, although I think I got a few distinct bites of beet in there. The frosting made a huge difference. I don't think I would have eaten a whole one plain. If you want brownies, make brownies. If you have beets you don't like, give 'em to the neighbors next time.
Anyone actually like beets? Ever made a "sneaky" dish before?
