Beetroot with Sumac Cheese & Seeded Streusel
Central Otago Wine Pairing
Our 2024 ‘Liquid Gold’ Gibbston Pinot Gris lives up to its name, rich, radiant, and silky. It flows across the palate with poached pear, ripe nectarine, and delicate spice, all wrapped in a golden glow. This opulent texture finds its match in roasted beetroot layered with sumac-laced cheese and a savoury seeded streusel. The dish draws out the wine’s vibrant acidity and fragrant lift, while the earthy beetroot and citrusy sumac echo its depth and brightness. It’s a pairing that captures the essence of Liquid Gold, luxurious but grounded, elegant yet approachable. Every element is in harmony, from texture to tone. This vintage is a standout expression of our cool-climate Gibbston fruit and shows Pinot Gris at its most refined. Discover this radiant release, and explore the rest of our white varietals for all the latest vintage updates, each crafted with the same golden standard.
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Ingredients
Cooked Beets
- Beetroot – 600 g (about 4 medium beets)
- Water – 2½ cups
- White wine vinegar – ½ cup + 1 tbsp
- Sugar – 1 tbsp
- Salt – ¾ tsp
- Mustard seeds – ⅛ tsp
- Coriander seeds – ⅛ tsp
- Bay leaf – ½ small leaf
- Thyme – ½ tsp (fresh leaves) or ¼ tsp dried
- Peppercorns – ⅛ tsp
Seeded Streusel
- Butter – 100 g (7 tbsp)
- Flour – ⅔ cup
- Sugar – 3 tbsp
- Salt – ½ tsp
- White sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
- Black sesame seeds – 1 tbsp
- Sunflower seeds – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
- Pumpkin seeds – 1 tbsp + 1 tsp
Sumac Cow’s Cheese
- Soft cow’s (or goats) cheese – 100 g (about ⅓ cup)
- Cream cheese – 100 g (about ⅓ cup)
- Sumac – 1 tsp
- Beetroot powder – pinch
- Lemon zest – from about ⅕ lemon
Method
Cook the Beets
Place beetroot in a pot and cover with water, vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns.
Bring to a simmer and cook until tender but still with a slight bite.
Drain, allow to cool, peel, and cut into wedges or slices.
Make the Seeded Streusel
Preheat oven to 180 °C (355 °F).
Toast all seeds in a dry pan until golden and fragrant.
Cube cold butter and place in a food processor with flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse for 30 seconds until crumbly.
Add toasted seeds and finish mixing by hand until it resembles wet sand.
Spread on a tray and bake for 12 minutes, stirring gently every 6 minutes. Cool.
Prepare the Sumac Cow’s Cheese
In a food processor, blend soft cow’s cheese, cream cheese, sumac, and beetroot powder until smooth.
Pulse in lemon zest.
Assemble the Dish
Arrange beet wedges on a serving plate.
Spoon or pipe small mounds of sumac cheese around and over the beets.
Sprinkle generously with seeded streusel for crunch.
Serve immediately.
Plating Tips
Base Layer – Beets
Use a flat, wide plate with a pale or neutral colour (white, grey, stoneware).
Arrange beet wedges/slices in a loose crescent or scattered arc shape, leaving space for the cheese and streusel. Mix sizes for a natural look – some overlapping, some slightly tilted.
Accent Layer – Sumac Cheese
Transfer sumac cheese into a piping bag with a medium round tip (or use a small spoon).
Pipe or dollop 8–10 small mounds evenly around the beets, varying the size for interest.
Keep some mounds directly on the plate and some on top of beet pieces to create height.
Texture Layer – Streusel
Sprinkle the seeded streusel over and around the beets and cheese.
Aim for both clusters (larger crunchy bits) and dusting (smaller crumbs) for texture contrast.
Avoid covering all the cheese – let the pink and white colours show.
Finishing Touches
Drizzle a few drops of good-quality extra virgin olive oil over the plate for gloss.
Add micro herbs (like micro coriander, baby basil, or beet greens) or edible petals for freshness and colour contrast.
Optional: a final light dusting of sumac for brightness and acidity.
