I made this a few weeks ago and served it on a bed of baby arugula; it turned out to be an interesting summer salad. L. felt that it needed something else so suggested nixing the arugula and adding feta to cut the sweetness of the beets. I didn't want white feta messing up all of my pretty purples so we compromised by placing a thin slice of feta at the bottom of each plate. We each preferred our own version so feel free to go with your personal taste!
I didn't want to turn on the oven so I used precooked beets for this rather than roasting my own. Also, the purple perilla at the market was not as happy looking as I would have wished so I substituted green perilla instead; you could also use basil or tarragon if you don't have access to perilla. The salad tasted just as good but I have to say I liked the original idea of all different tones of purple coming together on the plate, including the edible pansies.
4 small beets (or 2 large), cubed (about the size of the blackberries)
2 punnets blackberries
2 Tbsps chopped perilla
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
2 Tbsps walnut oil
1 Tbsps orange juice
Zest from one orange
2 tsps maple syrup or honey
1/4 tsp mustard powder
Whisk the vinegar, oil, maple syrup, orange juice, zest and mustard together in a large bowl. Add 4 blackberries and 1 tablespoon of the perilla and whiz with an immersion blender until vinaigrette is as smooth as possible. Taste and adjust as needed according to your taste (more vinegar, more sweetness, etc.) I did not add salt, you may wish to.
Add the cubed beets and the remaining blackberries to the bowl and toss well. Allow to sit for 10-20 minutes, tossing gently from time to time.
Remove the beets and blackberries from the dressing with a slotted spoon and portion out onto 4 salad plates. Top with the remaining perilla and add a swirl of the dressing around the salad if so desired. If serving with arugula, remove beets and blackberries to a separate bowl, toss the arugula in the remaining dressing, mound onto plates and top with beets, blackberries and perilla. If using feta lay a slice on each of your salad plates and top with the beets, blackberries and perilla.