Beet Napoleons with Prosciutto Roses

A small beet napoleon, with a prosciutto rose on top, on a white plate.

5 from 3 votes

No, they’re not red velvet, they’re beautiful beet napoleon appetizers with chive cream cheese and tiny prosciutto roses on top! They're earthy, creamy, and perfectly bite-size!

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: International

Servings: napoleons

Calories: 99kcal

Author: Genevieve Morrison

Equipment

tin foil - to wrap the beets
cookie cutter - no bigger than 1½ inches wide
sharp knife & cutting board - that won’t be easily stained
pastry piping bag with tip - large enough for chives to come through
kitchen scissors
6 tooth picks or cocktail pins (optional)

Ingredients

3 large beets
¼
cup
chive cream cheese
3 slices
prosciutto
cilantro leaves - just a few for garnish

Instructions

Wash 3 large beets and wrap them in tin foil. Roast them at 350 F. (177 C.) for 1 hour.
While the beets roast, make the prosciutto roses. Using kitchen scissors, cut a slice of prosciutto into a piece that’s about 5 inches long and 1 inch wide. Fold it in half so you have a nice, sturdy piece. Gently roll it into a pretty rose. Make 5 more and place them in the refrigerator until your napoleons are done.
Remove the beets and allow them to refrigerate until cool, about 15 minutes. Then, thinly slice them into 6 pieces each.
Use your small cookie cutter to cut perfect rounds through each slice. Wash each round and dry them with a paper towel to prevent the juice from bleeding into the cream cheese layers.
Fill your pastry piping bag with ¼ cup chive cream cheese. Add 1 beet to your cookie cutter on the cutting board, and cover the beet with about 1 tsp. of cream cheese. Place another beet on top and gently push it down to evenly distribute the cheese between the layers. Gently slide the cookie cutter up so that you can add another layer of cheese and another beet without the first layer of cheese spilling out below. Add another layer of cheese, then, add 1 more beet, gently pressing down to evenly distribute the layer of cheese below.
Gently lift the cookie cutter off of your perfect napoleon.
To perfectly adhere your roses to the napoleons, you can add a tiny dot of cream cheese to the top, and simply add your prosciutto roses and a cilantro leaf or two to the top.

Notes

1. Use a cookie cutter that’s no bigger than 1½ inches to keep them bite-size.

Unless you want them to be more of a first course than an appetizer that can be easily lifted with a tooth pick or cocktail pin, keep it real tiny.

2. Make the prosciutto roses first.

If you’re not used to making teeny, tiny prosciutto roses, you’ll want to give yourself some time to get them just right before assembling the Napoleons. Even when you wash the beets, they’ll start to stain the cheese after about 15-20 minutes, so you’ll want to be able to pop those roses right on top, the moment they’re done. Also, make sure to buy prosciutto that is separated by wax paper or plastic. Otherwise, they’ll be too difficult to peel into perfect pieces.

3. Wash the beet slices once they’re cut.

Don’t skip this step, they’ll still taste just as delicious when washed. That beet juice really stains, as you can imagine, and it will quickly turn the cheese pink, which isn’t as pretty as when it’s white. Washing them helps to make them a little less staining, but no less tasty.

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