Slow-Poached Sturgeon with Roasted Beets and Horseradish-Celery-Red Radish Salad

METHOD:

For Roasted Beets:

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss the beets with thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil. On a sheet pan, roast the beets until knife tender. Peel and cut into 1¾ inch disks. Save scraps for the puree. At service, warm up the beet disks in a hot oven.

For Horseradish Vinaigrette:

Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl until completely emulsified.

For Celery Salad:

In a small bowl, toss the salad ingredients together with the horseradish vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For Horseradish Sauce:

In a saucepan, reduce the white wine, shallots, and garlic until the wine is almost completely evaporated. Add the heavy cream and horseradish and continue to cook, reducing by half. Add olive oil and vinegar to the above mixture, whisking to thoroughly combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

For Slow-Poached Sturgeon:

In a large shallow pot, heat the court bouillon until barely simmering. In batches, place the sturgeon fillets inside the pan and cover. Slowly poach in the court bouillon until just cooked.

To Assemble and Serve:

On each plate, place a small amount of horseradish sauce. Cover with 2 slices of beets. Layer the celery salad and creamed spinach on top of the beets. Cover with the sturgeon fillet. Drizzle the beet puree, horseradish sauce and chive oil decoratively on the plate and garnish with additional radish and mustard sprouts and caviar, if desired.

Wine Pairing:

Chardonnay/Viognier Blend, Qupe Bien Nacido Cuvee, Santa Maria Valley, California, 2005