Cold Borscht

- Total Time
- 30 minutes, plus refrigeration
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1½pounds beets, washed and stems trimmed to about 1 inch
- 3½cups vegetable broth (see recipe)
- ½cup granulated sugar
- 3tablespoons white vinegar
- ½cup heavy cream
- ½cup sour cream
- ½cup buttermilk
- ¼cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation
- Step 1
Place the beets in an 8-inch-by-8-inch-by-2-inch dish, with the smaller ones toward the center. Cover the dish tightly with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Cook the beets at 100 percent power in a 650- to 700-watt oven for 16 minutes. Prick the plastic to release the steam.
- Step 2
Remove from the oven and uncover. Allow the beets to stand until cool.
- Step 3
Wearing rubber gloves to prevent staining your hands, peel and grate the beets. Reserve.
- Step 4
Combine the vegetable broth, sugar and vinegar in a two-and-one-half-quart souffle dish or casserole with a tightly fitting lid. Cover and cook at 100 percent power for three minutes.
- Step 5
Remove from the oven and uncover. Stir to dissolve any remaining sugar. Stir in the reserved beets. Refrigerate until cool.
- Step 6
Stir in the remaining ingredients and season. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Private Notes
Comments
It seems this recipe requires a micro-wave oven although it is not stated anywhere: instead, it says "oven' as if the only kind of oven is a micro-wave (whereas the instructions would be different if cooking with a traditional oven). Please mention this as not everyone uses a microwave oven. If the recipe is based on micro-wave use this should be clearly marked. Thank you.
All my ancesters were from Belarus and we NEVER used cabbage in our cold borscht!!! My Baba used beets, salt, water, sour salt, 2 beaten eggs and sour cream.
From my background: Hot borscht is made with cabbage, meat and potatoes. Cold borscht is made only from beets. Different perspectives, perhaps based on family cooking traditions.
I put only half the sugar called for and it was still a bit too sweet for my taste. Added lots of fresh ground pepper to compensate and it was good. Next time ¼ of the sugar suggested.
I made this according to the directions and it was delicious! Even my 2 sons who hate beets liked it. It was perfect for a hot July supper.
I think it’s obvious that it calls for a microwave oven.