Monday, December 20, 2010

Glazed Carrots

Just in time for the holidays, we have glazed carrots! I don't know why, but this dish always seemed a little festive to me. It's sweet and has cinnamon, so maybe that's why it reminds me of Fall and Winter. Whatever the reason, it's simple and quick to make and sure to delight your guests! (It's good for when you're just cooking for yourself, too! :-)


Ingredients:

4 or 5 carrots
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Cut the carrots into thick slices. I like to cut them on the bias to make long slices for a nicer presentation, but however you cut them, it'll end up tasting the same. I don't bother to peel them, but if there are any blemishes, you should trim them off.

Put the carrots into a large skillet over high heat, and add the water and salt. Move the carrots around occasionally to make sure they cook evenly. Once the water is gone, add the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon. Keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved into the butter.

Keep cooking the carrots until the sauce has become glossy and is coating the carrots well. If the sauce looks too thin and runny, that means there is too much water and/or juices from the carrots and the glaze won't stick, so you'll need to keep the carrots on the heat to cook off some of it. Make sure to keep stirring to prevent burning. If they brown a little bit, that's okay. Your pan will need to be very hot throughout this entire process for this to work.

Depending on your cookware and your stove, you may need to get the empty skillet very hot, hot enough to sizzle when you sprinkle a few drops of water on it, before you start the entire cooking process. If your pan is too cool, the carrots may be very over-cooked by the time the glaze thickens, but if you like your carrots that way, then you may want to start with a cool pan intentionally.

I like cinnamon in this, but any sweet spice or combination of spices will work, such as nutmeg, cloves, allspice, etc. Just make sure not to overdo it, moderation is key.

Bon Apetit!

No comments:

Post a Comment