Coffee and Salt Roasted Beets

For some backstory, take a look at our initial conversation and inspirations for flavoring our salt crusts from back in 2006. Since then, we have explored numerous avenues in flavoring our crusts. In fact, we have a recipe for ginger salt roasted beets here. This past week, we took a number of our influences and the subject matter on hand and cooked coffee and salt roasted beets. The results were delicious. The salt crust was a protective medium for protecting the beets and allowing for even cooking while the aroma of the coffee permeated the beets.

For a base recipe, combine 1 part ground coffee, 6 parts salt, and 2 parts egg white. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Put a base layer of the coffee salt into the bottom of a pan, place the beets on the base, and pack the rest of the salt crust around the beets. Bake the beets in a 350°F oven for thirty minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the salt crust cool. Crack open the salt crust and remove the beets. Peel the beets and serve them warm or cold.