Recipe: Beets and Peaches Salad, James Bloomfield of Alliance Restaurant

chef james bloomfield alliance restaurant traverse city michigan alive magazine st louis

Acclaimed chef James Bloomfield of Alliance Restaurant in Traverse City, Michigan shares a delicious recipe with us. Read our full Q&A with the up-and-coming culinary talent in our fifth print issue of the year.Ingredients- 10-12 small to medium-sized multicolored beets- 2-3 peaches (sliced)- Greek Yogurt- Orange blossom water- Cumin- Coriander- Quinoa- Shiso Leaf- Mint- Lemon- Salt- Pepper- Olive oilPlace beets in a deep baking pan filled with 2 cups of water.Cover the pan with tin foil and roast in a 350-degree oven until tender (about an hour). Check the beets by inserting a knife into the skin. If the knife comes out clean, the beets are done. Peel the beets and cut into your desired shapes and sizes. Set aside.Mix 1 cup yogurt with 1 tablespoon of the orange blossom water, 1/2 tablespoon of coriander, 1/4 tablespoon cumin and 1 tablespoon honey.Whisk until the spices are evenly distributed and the yogurt is slightly thinner than when you started. Set aside.Cook the quinoa following the directions on the packaging and then transfer to a half-sheet pan lined with plastic wrap. Spread out the quinoa so that it will cool quickly. Transfer the cooled quinoa to another half-sheet pan with parchment paper and leave overnight in a dry area to dehydrate. The next day, heat a pan of neutral cooking oil to 350 degrees. Using a strainer, very carefully fry the quinoa in small batches for around seven seconds until the skin puffs and rises to the surface of the oil. Transfer to a pan lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil.Place 5-6 pieces of the cut beets and 4-5 peach slices in a small mixing bowl. Toss the beets and peaches with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and some lemon zest. Place the yogurt mixture on a plate, and begin to arrange the beets and peaches, making sure that they are evenly distributed. Garnish the salad with the puffed quinoa, fresh mint, fresh shiso leaf and more lemon zest.This story originally appeared in ALIVE Issue 5, 2017. Purchase Issue 5 and become an ALIVE subscriber.Photography by Attilio D’Agostino