Bavarois of Aged Cheddar with Onions, Beets and Candied Ginger

Ingredients

Bavarois:
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1½ cups chopped sweet white onions
½ cup heavy cream, divided
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
5 ounces Cabot Private Stock Cheddar, Cabot Sharp Cheddar or Cabot New York Vintage Cheddar, grated (about 1¼ cups)
1 large egg white

Beet Salad:
2 small golden beets
2 small red beets
3 tablespoons fresh beet juice
1½ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped crystallized ginger
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup baby mache

Directions

To make Bavarois:

PLACE four (4-inch) ring molds with ¾-inch-high sides on baking sheet and place in freezer.

ADD water in small bowl and sprinkle with gelatin; let stand for 5 minutes to soften.

HEAT oil in skillet over medium-low heat; add onions and cook, stirring, until soft and translucent but not browned, about 6 minutes.

MIX ¼ cup of heavy cream and softened gelatin to skillet, stirring to dissolve. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

PLACE cheese in food processor and pulse. Add onion mixture and process again until smooth. Transfer mixture to metal bowl and place over another bowl of ice water; let stand until mixture begins to thicken, stirring occasionally.

BEAT egg white in small bowl with electric mixer to form stiff peaks. Fold into cheese mixture. In clean bowl, beat remaining ¼ cup heavy cream to stiff peaks; fold into cheese mixture.

REMOVE ring molds from freezer and divide cheese mixture equally among them. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 3 hours or overnight.

To make salad and serve bavarois:

COOK golden and red beets in separate saucepans in boiling salted water until tender when pierced with skewer, 40 to 60 minutes. Drain beets. When cool enough to handle, peel and cut beets into ⅛ – inch-thick slices, keeping golden and red beets separate.

WHISK together beet juice and olive oil in small bowl. Add in half of ginger and season with salt and pepper.

USE a metal spatula to transfer each bavarois to the center of a salad plate. Run knife around outside of ring and remove. Arrange one fourth of sliced beets in circle, alternating colors, on top of each bavarois. Add mache to beet juice dressing and toss to combine; place on top of beets. Scatter remaining ginger around outside of plate and serve.