Candied Beets with Vanilla-Balsamic Reduction and Goat Cheese

I went to a little place in Old Ellicott City called Pure Wine, and they had beets on their tapas menu. I had never had beets, and since it was happy hour, and the apps were cheap, I figured, what the hell? So I tried them, and I loved them. I tried to re-create the recipe, and I came pretty close and they are yummy!.

You will need...
A bunch of beets. You can buy them at the grocery store, but check out your local farmers market. The food is so fresh and it's nice to put a face to the person who grows your veggies. Plus, They are usually pretty cheap. You can get so much for so little!
Butter
Brown sugar
Balsamic vinegar
Vanilla extract. The first time I made these I sprang for vanilla beans, but they are really expensive and extract was just as good.
Chevre cheese. I used regular chevre, but last night my friend made them and she had found a delicious honey chevre. YUM!

Start with the beets. Cut off the tops and bottoms. I haven't figured out what to do with the greens yet, but I'm working on it. Peel them, then cut them into chunks. Saute the beets with some melted butter and brown sugar.

While you're doing that, start the reduction. Put the vinegar and extract (Sorry, no measurements) into a small sauce pot and simmer, whisking occasionally until it has reduced.

Just before serving, add the sauce to the beets, then top with some crumbled cheese. A little cheese may go a long way. Some are stronger than others. Just remember that you can always add more, but it's difficult to take it away.

Sorry, no pic right now, but I'll add one the next time I make them. Enjoy!

Yeah, I suck at blogging...

... so here is the part where I apologize and say that I'll be better from now on, then I put up some new posts. Let's just skip this step and move on to the new posts.