Smoked Glazed Baby Carrots by Chef John Currence
A sampling for your holiday menu from celebrity chef John Currence’s new cookbook, <em>Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey: Recipes from My Three Favorite Food Groups and Then Some</em>.
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By
Christian Owen
All carrots are not created equal. This recipe will add color and flavor to your Thanksgiving plate … a side dish from celebrity chef John Currence’s new cookbook, Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey.
Smoked Glazed Baby Carrots
Says Chef Currence: "One of my greatest influences, Larkin Selman, who was the chef at Gautreau’s in New Orleans, where I moved to work in the late 1980s, took our grandmother’s glazed carrots to a different level with a brown sugar glaze spiked with just a hint of cinnamon. I used to love cooking them. Sticky and sweet, they were like chewable vitamins in that they tasted like candy but were actually somewhat good for you. For my interpretation, we baptize the baby carrots in a salty, vermouth-tinged blanch before hot-smoking them. Then they hit the pan with a drizzle of Steen’s cane syrup. Half of these suckers will not make it to the table they are that good."
Ingredients
- Smoked Carrots:
- 24 baby carrots with greens attached
- 6 tablespoons salt
- 1 cup dry vermouth
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 medium shallot sliced
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- ¾ cup soaked wood chips see Note, page 203
- Finishing and Assembly:
- 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons minced shallots
- 3 tablespoons Veal Stock page 30
- 3 tablespoons Steen’s cane syrup see page 180
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- To make the carrots: Trim the carrots, leaving 1 inch of the greens attached. Roughly chop the remaining greens and set aside.
- Combine 3 quarts water, the salt, vermouth, bay leaves, garlic, shallot, and peppercorns in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Boil for 3 minutes. Plunge the carrots into the liquid for 2 to 3 minutes after the water returns to a boil or until the carrots just begin to feel barely tender. Meanwhile, prepare an ice-water bath. Remove the carrots from the blanching liquid and plunge them immediately into the ice bath to cool and stop the cooking process.
- Prepare a stovetop smoker with the soaked chips and place it over medium heat. As soon as the chips begin to smoke, place the carrots on the rack and cover tightly. Let smoke for 5 minutes, then remove the smoker from the heat (still covered) and let cool. Remove the carrots from the smoker.
- To finish the carrots: Heat the butter in a medium sauté pan over medium heat until it begins to foam, being careful not to burn it. Stir in the shallots and sauté until transparent. Add the carrots and toss to fully coat with the butter. Blend in the stock, let it come to a boil, and reduce briefly. Stir in the Steen’s syrup, brown sugar, salt, and black pepper until well blended with the carrots and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until the liquid becomes thick and syrupy. Sprinkle with the carrot greens and serve immediately.
- Listen to: “Floating Vibes” — Surfer Blood
Notes
John Currence is Oxford, Mississippi’s very own Celebrity Chef. Two of John’s four restaurants, City Grocery and the Snackbar, were in StyleBlueprint Memphis’ recent post about "Small Town Dining in the Mississippi Delta," and his catering team was highlighted in StyleBlueprint’s image gallery and story, "Road Trip to Oxford: Are You Grove Ready?"
Try more of John’s recipes in his new cookbook, Pickles, Pigs & Whiskey: Recipes from My Three Favorite Food Groups and Then Some. Photo credit: Angie Mosier
For more information: www.citygroceryonline.com.
Nutrition
Calories: 220kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 10829mgPotassium: 268mgFiber: 3gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 8557IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 1mg
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