Okay, let me just get this out there right away. This dish started out as baby food for my first child. At the time, many of our friends wanted to come over and play with him, and stayed for dinner. At some point, I was too tired to make separate dishes for grown-ups, so I just served what I had made him (a trio of purees if I recall correctly), and it was a hit. So here it is, in its amended grown-up form.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch Chantenay (or other sweet) carrots, stems removed, peeled, and cut into ½ inch thick slices (1-1½ pounds)
1 teaspoon sugar (or not). If the carrots are sweet, this may be superfluous)
1 tablespoon butter or olive oil, or more as needed
Salt and pepper to taste
Water to cover carrots by 1 inch
½ teaspoon minced fresh thyme
-OR-
A pinch each of ground cinnamon and ground cardamom
METHOD:
Place the ingredients in a 2½-3 quart saucepan and place over high heat.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer.
Cook the carrots until one will smash easily when pinched between thumb and forefinger.
Remove the carrots from the liquid to a bowl and keep warm.
Reduce the cooking liquid over medium-high heat until it thickens a bit and there is around a half-cup left.
Add the carrots back in and heat through.
Puree the carrots as you wish-food processor, blender, or baby food mill. If the puree is too dry, add a little more butter or oil to the puree to get it to move easily and achieve a silky texture. If the puree seems too wet when done, put back into the saucepan over heat for a few moments, stirring, until the puree is no longer soupy and has reached the correct consistency. The puree should hold its shape when spoon onto a plate.
Serve hot to adults, cool it down for babies.
Chef’s Notes and Tips:
I use this technique for parsnips and for turnips/rutabagas. Parsnips never need sugar, and cook in less time. Turnips and rutabagas can benefit from sweetener and having a potato (such as a Carola, Yellow Finn, or the like) added into the pot to mitigate possible bitterness and to help the puree stiffen a little. For the carrots, you can add character to the dish by sprinkling sugar into the pan as it heats up, caramelizing it before adding the butter and the rest. I like to play with the flavoring for this dish as it is quite flexible. I have used; garlic, cinnamon, and cardamom, and sometimes vanilla extract; thyme and fennel seed powder; garlic, ginger powder, a few drops of soy sauce, and mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine); Herbes de Provence, lavender, and garlic. Orange juice, cinnamon, and cumin is a good combination as well. I found that my children were quite happy to eat these carrots with the various seasonings as well as when they were fairly plain, and if you ever tasted jarred baby food you would understand.
Serves: 4
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
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