Bid adieu to summer by whipping up this dish from Hotel Valley Ho’s Café ZuZu featuring one of fall’s tastiest treasures: beets.

Roast beets: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut tops and tips off beets. Discard tops and save the greens to cook later, if desired. Wash beets well to dislodge any grit. Spread beets in a shallow baking pan. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan. Cover with foil and roast the beets until tender when pierced with a sharp knife, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven. When beets are cool enough to handle (but still warm), rub off the skins with a kitchen towel or paper towels. Slice beets. Beets can be roasted up to one day ahead of time and refrigerated until ready to toss in salad. Prepare vinaigrette: Peel and dice one shallot and place in a blender with honey and mustard. With blender on low, slowly add rice wine vinegar until blended, then pulse in basil. With blender running, slowly add vegetable oil and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Make salad: Toss roasted beets, tomatoes and herbs in a bowl with half a tablespoon of olive oil until coated. Season with salt and pepper. Add eight to 10 beets and tomato slices per plate. Top each with crumbled goat cheese and arugula or micro herbs. Lightly drizzle with basil vinaigrette.

Photo courtesy of Barry Wolf.