Trio of Beets: Cured, Forgotten, and Pickled, with House Ham and Dill Sauce

METHOD:

For the Cured Beets:
Combine beets, wine, orange peel, and 2 grams salt in pressure cooker and cook according to manufacturer's instructions until beets are tender. Drain and reserve. In a saucepan, bring beet juice, sugar and remaining salt to boil. Remove from heat and add preserved lemon and ginger. Steep 5 minutes. Chill in ice water bath. Heat immersion circulator to 90°C. Fill two 12x12-inch sous vide bags with medium sized beets (set aside remaining beets for another preparation). Fill bags with the brine and seal. Immerse bags in circulator and circulate for 14 minutes. Transfer to ice water bath. When beets are chilled, set aside in refrigerator. After 1 month, cut open one beet and taste to see if the brine has penetrated the center. If not, reseal bag and return to refrigerator, checking flavor once a week. Leave whole, cover, and refrigerate.

For the Forgotten Beets:
Heat oven to 160°F. Cover bottom of hotel pan with lemongrass leaves, turmeric, and vanilla beans, similarly to making a nest. Place wire rack over the nest. Put the beets on the rack and transfer to oven. Cook beets 6 to 7 hours. They will appear over cooked; allow them to cool. Peel and thinly slice beets (or cut into bite size pieces). Cover and refrigerate.

For the Pickled Beets:
Shaved beets as thinly as possible and reserve. In a saucepan, combine all ingredients and bring to boil. Remove from heat and chill pickling liquid in ice water bath. Soak beets shavings in liquid at least 15 minutes but no longer than 40 minutes. Drain, cover, and refrigerate.

For the Dill Cream:
Pull espresso shot from coffee grounds and allow to cool. Combine cooled espresso with remaining ingredients, cover, and refrigerate.

To Assemble and Serve:
In bottom of serving bowl, spread a little Dill Cream in a circle. Top with beets as desired. Garnish with ham and greens.