Toasty Beet & Walnut Salad

Braised beets prep

1. In a dry small pan, lightly toast your fennel seeds by swishing them around the pan on medium-low heat. Remove them from the heat once it becomes fragrant.
2. Place all the braising ingredients into a medium sized pot and bring it all to a boil. Once it reaches a rolling boil, reduce the heat so it can simmer until the beets are tender. When you can easily poke a fork through the thickest part of the beet, this is done and you can strain the beets out.
3. Save this braising liquid to the side for the next step.
4. Peel the beet skin off with a clean rag and then place the peeled beets back into the braising liquid. Let them sit for 2 hours so the beets can absorb the liquid.
5. After 2 hours, strain and slice the beets to your desired shape/size and set aside.

Beet dressing

1. Mix the beet braising liquid with honey, and salt to taste.
2. While whisking, slowly pour in the olive oil until the mixture thickens slightly.

Balsamic mayo

1. Separate the yolk from the white of the egg: take your egg and gently crack it as close to the centre as possible. Pry the egg into halves, and begin passing the yolk back and forth between the two halves of the shell, dropping as much of the egg white as possible into a bowl.
2. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl with mustard and lemon juice.
3. Add the vegetable oil into the egg mixture a bit at a time while whisking vigorously and constantly until all the vegetable oil has been incorporated and a smooth emulsion is formed.
4. Add a pinch of salt to taste, then mix in the balsamic vinegar.

Tip: You can substitute this homemade mayo with store-bought mayo, and mix in the balsamic vinegar to the store-bought mayo.

Maple roasted walnuts

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Heat the butter in a pan and toss in the walnuts around the heated pan for about 3 minutes.
3. Pour in the maple syrup, stirring frequently to keep the nuts from burning.
4. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper. After the 3 minutes of cooking (or until all ingredients are well combined), scoop the nuts onto the baking sheet (don’t pour them, as this will transfer the loose syrup and cause it to get too sticky!).
5. Spread the nuts out so they’re not touching each other too much. Bake for 5 to 6 minutes. Keep a close eye on the nuts to make sure they toast to a nice colour, and the syrup doesn’t cause them to burn.
6. Let the nuts cool enough to handle before breaking apart any clumps.