by: Eric Adjepong
Cook Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Yield
6 servings
@CHEFERICADJEPONG
“A perfect combination of sweet, tangy and sour, my glazed carrots use carrot juice to reinforce that carrot flavor, and a good punch of ginger, garlic, cumin and paprika.”
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Yield
6 servings
summary
Carrots are a top five vegetable for me. I snack on them during the day and order them—either roasted or in cake form—at first sight at any restaurant I visit. Glazed carrots are a classic culinary school dish that professors use to teach the technique of boiling, glazing and sauce-making to new cooks. This recipe comes from those days at culinary school for me. You can typically find fresh carrot juice in your grocery store’s produce section.
ingredients
- Carrots:
- 1 pound small carrots, tops trimmed, peeled and left whole (or halved lengthwise if more than ½-inch thick)
- 3 tablespoons store-bought ginger-garlic puree
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 cups fresh carrot juice
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup amber honey
- 1 (½ inch) piece of ginger, peeled and minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 packed cup fresh cilantro leaves, divided
- ½ cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced
- 1 medium lime, zested and juiced, plus more as needed
- Ricotta Base:
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1⁄2 teaspoon sea salt
- Garnish:
- 2 teaspoons benne or sesame seeds
- ½ small bunch fresh chives, thinly sliced
directions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, season the carrots with the ginger-garlic puree, oil, cumin, paprika and salt; toss to coat. Arrange carrots on a rimmed baking sheet large enough to accommodate them all in a single layer, place thyme sprigs over the carrots, cover tightly with foil and bake in oven. Roast until the carrots are slightly softened, about 20 minutes.
- While the carrots roast, combine the carrot juice, orange juice, vinegar and soy sauce in a wide, medium saute pan over high heat. Bring to a boil then cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat so the mixture simmers, then whisk in the honey and ginger. Add ½ cup of the cilantro to the pan to steep, and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Remove the cilantro and squeeze any liquid back into the pan; discard cilantro. Reduce heat to low then immediately add butter a few pieces at a time, stirring constantly and waiting until one batch of butter is emulsified before adding the next. Add the lime zest and juice and a pinch of salt, then taste and add more lime juice if necessary. Set aside glaze (you should have about 2½ cups).
- Remove the foil from the baking sheet and baste carrots with a little less than half of the glaze. Return uncovered pan to the oven and roast, turning the carrots halfway through cooking, until they are tender in the middle and brown and caramelized at the edges, an additional 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the thyme sprigs and discard, then brush carrots with a little more glaze.
- Combine all ingredients for the ricotta base and spread onto a serving plate. Arrange the carrots on top of the ricotta base, garnish with benne seeds, chives and remaining ½ cup cilantro leaves, then serve immediately.
notes
Reserve any extra glaze from this roasted carrot recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
