This quickle is meant to show off the colors of the carrots to their best effect, and allow the taste differences of each to still show through. Since some red carrots are only red as far as the skin, this method of cleaning preserves the color and renders the carrots clean and safe. This recipe uses cilantro and coriander seed because the idea of keeping it all in the family appeals to me, but you could use other herbs as long as it is subtle. Using low acid vinegar- around 4 to 5% or 40 to 50 grain- such as rice or white balsamic is easy and preserves the flavors of the carrots. You can dilute other vinegars with water to get to this number if you wish. Stronger vinegar will need more sugar to balance the flavors. You will want a mandolin to make this easy.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch rainbow carrots, trimmed of tops leaving 2 inches attached for handles 1 cup of sugar + 2 tablespoons 2 cups rice vinegar or white balsamic vinegar 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, cracked 3-4 sprigs cilantro 2 tablespoons Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt*
METHOD:
Mix together the 1 cup of sugar and the vinegar and whisk until all the sugar goes into suspension (disappears). Taste for balance. If the solution is quite tart, add a little sugar at a time until it just reaches a sweet-sour balance.
Add the coriander seeds to the solution and let stand at room temperature until needed.
Check to see if the red carrots are red all the way through, or at least red 1/8th inch in. If they are, peel all the carrots. If not, proceed with instructions below.
Prepare an ice-water bath and have it near where you are working.
Bring a pot of water deep enough to hold a carrot to a boil. Using the stems as a handle, dunk the carrots one at a time into the water for around 10 seconds. Remove the carrot and using a coarse towel (one you don’t care too much about as it may get stained) scrub the carrot to remove the very outer skin, dirt, and any little fibrous rootlets. Drop the carrot into the ice-water bath right away. Proceed until done, or just do the red carrots this way and use a swivel peeler on the rest.
Once the carrots are cleaned, use a mandolin over a bowl to slice them into coins around 1/16th of an inch thin. Mix the 2 tablespoons of sugar with the 2 tablespoons of salt together well, and sprinkle the carrots with enough to lightly coat the lot evenly. Toss well for about 30 seconds, and leave to rest for 5 minutes. After five minutes, check to see if the carrots are getting pliable. The idea is for them to become somewhat pliable without becoming floppy. The coins should flex some before cracking as a normal raw carrot would. This should take around 8-10 minutes.
When the carrots have reached the desired texture, toss them into a large non-reactive bowl and rinse with running cold water until they no longer feel slippery. Taste a few to see if they taste salty, and if so let them sit in the running water a few minutes. Drain well and toss in a clean towel to remove excess water.
Put the carrots into the quickling solution and add the cilantro. Allow to sit in the solution for a while before transferring the quickles to a container to refrigerate. They should be ready to eat within 30 minutes.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
Yield: Depends on the size of the bunch, around 2-3 cups
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
*Use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt, the plain one that says nothing about “ice cream” or “fine crystals”. It is the perfect size and tastes clean. I find Morton’s Kosher salt has a metallic flavor that is off-putting.
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