This recipe works fine with great big Chantenay carrots as well. You just need to cut them down to size. Use 2-3 Chantenay carrots, quartered lengthwise and cut into ½ inch pieces.
INGREDIENTS:
4-5 medium carrots (3/4 to 1 lb), peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter 1 teaspoon sugar 1 pinch salt WaterMETHOD:
Heat a 2 quart chef’s pan or saucepan over medium heat.
When the pan is just past warm, add the sugar. Let it cook a couple minutes until it melts and is starting to turn golden and smells like it is caramelizing.
Quickly add the carrots, toss to mix with the sugar, and add cold water to cover the carrots by an inch or so. Stir to get the sugar off the pan bottom.
Add the butter and salt and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to a vigorous simmer and cook until the carrots are tender.
Remove the carrots with a slotted spoon to a bowl and keep warm.
Reduce the remaining liquid in the pan to a glaze. It should be shiny and getting a little thick.
Add the carrots back into the pan and toss to coat with the glaze.
Serve while still hot.
SERVES: 4
Chef’s Notes and Variations:
This dish can be made without the sugar. If the carrots are really sweet, they will have enough sugars to replace the teaspoon of sugar called for in the recipe. Use more water to cook the carrots, and cook them a little more slowly so the water has time to extract the sugars from the carrots. You might need a little more butter to give the “glazed” look to the dish.
For puree/baby food, just cook the carrots until they are softer. A lot softer. Don’t boil them; just simmer them until the carrots will break down between the thumb and forefinger. Reduce the liquid in the pan and use this to thin the puree. Puree in the food processor or hand mill them. You may need to add butter, an oil, or stock to achieve the right consistency.
Seasoning can go in so many directions. Cinnamon is popular here. A blend of cumin and coriander is nice. Orange juice or dried and powdered orange peel goes well. Mint and carrots, curry powder, or just salt and pepper do well with good carrots.
This is a technique that seems tricky at first, but once you “get it”, it is very simple. This recipe lends itself to starting and stopping. By this I mean you could cook the carrots until tender, then remove them and set them aside. Reduce the cooking liquid partway and stop, and then right before service, heat the liquid, reduce it to a glaze and heat the carrots through in the glaze. This technique works for parsnips as well.
SOURCE: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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