Candied Carrot Rose Tart

When I first found out that the ingredient for this season's collaboration was carrots, my heart sank.  Because, you guys, I hate carrots.  Always have, always will.  I'll eat them if I have to, but I would never go out of my way to make a recipe spotlighting them.  But the more I thought about it, the more I decided:  challenge accepted!

At first I thought about doing some sort of carrot cake, because that's the only way I like carrots--when I can't taste them.  But then I decided I could push the envelope a little farther and came up with this tart, which is basically a deconstructed carrot cake, cream cheese frosting and all!

I used Dorie Greenspan's spiced tart dough from her book Baking:  From My Home to Yours, the cookbook the Food52 Baking Club is going through this month.  It works well for this tart because it has the nuts, cinnamon, and cloves traditionally found in carrot cake.  The filling is just a simple mix of cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar.

But the candied carrot roses is probably what you want to know about.  I got that idea from Stella Park's Bravetart cookbook when the Food52 Baking Club went through that book a couple of months ago.  She covers the technique on Serious Eats and her own blog, so I didn't bother taking pictures myself (plus, sticky hands + taking pictures = not good).

In order to make sure that I made enough roses to cover the top of the tart, I found a plate that was about the same size as the tart and kept making the roses until the plate was covered.  It took me a little less than 6 large carrots to get there, including a bunch of ribbons that were too short.  And I had to candy all the carrot strips in 3 batches since they wouldn't all fit into the syrup at once.  If you want some extra shine/sweetness, you could brush some of the leftover poaching syrup onto the roses just before serving.

Candied Carrot Rose Tart
makes 1 tart

Your favorite tart shell, fully baked and cooled
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup sugar, divided
Juice from half a lemon
1 cup water
1/2 a cinnamon stick
6 long, thick carrots

Use the paddle attachment in a stand up mixer or hand mixer to combine the cream cheese, sour cream, and 1/2 cup of sugar.  Spread into the tart shell and chill while you make the carrot roses.

Combine the remaining 1 cup of sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, and water in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer.

Cut off the carrot tops and peel.  Then, using the vegetable peeler, peel the carrots into long, thick strips.

Once all the sugar has dissolved in the syrup, add a third of the carrot strips.  Cook for about a minute, then turn off the heat and allow the strips to cool in the syrup.

Pick up one of the strips and squeegee the excess syrup off with your fingers.  Hold the thinner end with one hand and start twirling the rest of the carrot strip around it to form a rose.  Tuck the end underneath and set it down on a plate about the size of your tart pan.  Repeat with remaining strips until you have enough to cover the plate, and thus, the top of your tart.

Carefully transfer the carrot roses to the tart and return to the fridge until ready to serve.

Check out the rest of the bloggers who participated in the #24carrotgoals collaboration below:

Square Meal Round Table’s Rainbow Carrot and Ricotta Tart

Better with Biscuits’ Carrot Souffle

This Healthy Table’s Beet and Carrot Galette

Always Eat Dessert’s Carrot Cake Squares with Orange Glaze

Figs & Flour’s Thai Peanut Pizza

Fufu’s Kitchen’s Oven Baked Carrot Fries Drizzled with a Tahini Sauce

Flours in Your Hair’s Carrot Pecan Cookies

Hola Jalapeño’s Roasted Carrots with Chipotle-Honey Butter

Worthy Pause’s Paleo Thai Curry Carrot Soup

Something New for Dinner’s Minted Sous Vide Carrots with Balsamic Vinegar and Goat Cheese

What Great Grandma Ate’s Paleo Carrot Mug Cake

More Icing Than Cake’s Spiced Quinoa & Roasted Carrot Salad

Hot Dishing It Out’s Vegan Carrot Whoopie Pies

Katie Bird Bakes’ Carrot Cake Scones

Confetti Kitchen’s Harissa-Roasted Carrots with Lentils and Yogurt

Easy and Delish’s Carrot Spaghetti

Pie Girl Bakes’ Five Spice Carrot Bundt Cakes with Bourbon Cream Cheese Glaze

Smoothies and Sundaes’ Carrot Cake Sourdough

Zestful Kitchen’s Moroccan-Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms

Food by Mars’ Paleo Carrot Walnut Loaf Cake

Cosette’s Kitchen’s Sumac Carrot and Feta Salad

Measuring Cups Optional's Carrot Curry Soup

Rezel Kealoha’s Turkish Yogurt Carrot Dip

Pies and Prejudice’s Carrot Pie with Maple & Cardamom

Amanda Skrip’s Rainbow Roasted Carrots with Citrus Fennel + Arugula

Baking The Goods’ Roasted Carrot & Herby Feta Galette

Marianne Cooks’ Carrot and Zucchini Mini Muffins with a Cinnamon Frosting

Rumbly in My Tumbly’s Chai Carrot Pie

Cook Til Delicious’ Mini Carrot Cake

What Annie’s Eating’s Roasted Carrots with Herby Carrot Top Salsa Verde

It’s a Veg World After All’s Zesty Sunflower Carrot Spirals

Butter Loves Company’s Iced Carrot Cake Cookies

Le Petit Eats’ Carrot Cake Breakfast Bars w/ Maple Coconut Icing

Smart in the Kitchen’s Curried Carrot Ginger Soup (Whole30)

Cocoa and Salt’s Classic Carrot Cake

Dirty Whisk’s Carrot and Herbed Ricotta Tart

A Modest Feast’s Pomegranate-Molasses-Glazed Carrots With Crispy Chickpeas and Feta

Next:  My Mom's Taiwanese Zongzi
Previously:  Pork, Cabbage, and Tofu Dumplings
Last Year:  Salted Egg Yolk Mochi Ice Cream
Three Years Ago:  Burmese Coconut Noodles with Tofu
Four Years Ago:  Grilled Cheese Egg in a Hole
Five Years Ago:  Passion Fruit Marshmallows
Eight Years Ago:  Kalua Pork
Nine Years Ago:  Tomato and Eggs over Rice

Japanese Chicken Curry Rice

If you’ve ever made Japanese curry rice from one of those store-bought curry blocks, you know how delicious and easy it is, but did you know it’s almost as easy to make it from scratch?  And considering the palm oil, MSG, and preservatives used in the blocks, it’s probably a lot healthier to make your own.

I pretty much followed the chicken curry rice recipe from Just One Cookbook except I caramelized the onions as recommended by Marc from No Recipes and Serious Eats.  I also used chicken breast instead of chicken thighs because I really, really hate dark meat.  Another great thing about making your own curry roux is that it’s easily customizable.  If you prefer it spicier, add cayenne pepper; if you prefer it sweeter add honey, etc.  This recipe makes a slightly sweet, medium-mild spicy curry.

Japanese curry is usually served with steamed rice, but if you want to have a little more fun, I’d highly suggest waffling some day-old cooked rice.  The rice gets crispy-crunchy-toasty-chewy and adds a really interesting texture. 

Japanese Chicken Curry Rice (adapted from Just One Cookbook)
serves 4-6

1 lb. boneless chicken, skinless thighs or breast
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons oil
2 onions, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 qt. chicken broth
1 apple
2 large Yukon gold potatoes
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 tablespoon curry powder
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon honey (optional)
Cooked rice

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.

Add the onions to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.  Cook with a large pinch of salt until dry and just starting to color.  Add a tablespoon of oil, mix, and continue to cook until the onions start sticking to the bottom again.  Add the rest of the oil and continue to cook until caramelized.  Add the minced garlic, grated ginger, and chicken.  Cook until the chicken turns white.  Add the chopped carrot and chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Peel the apple, coarsely grate, and add to the pot.  Peel the potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks, and add to the pot.  Simmer for 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.

In the meantime, make the curry roux by melting the butter in a small pan over medium-low heat.  Add the flour and stir until the roux starts to get darker, about 5-10 minutes.  Mix in the garam masala and curry powder and take off the heat once combined.

When the potatoes are done, add some of the hot liquid to the roux and whisk until the roux is loose, adding more liquid as necessary.  Add back to the pot and bring back to a boil.  Stir in the soy sauce and ketchup.  Taste, and add the honey if you'd prefer it sweeter.  Simmer until the curry has thickened.  Serve with cooked rice.

Next:  Rainbow Crepe Cake
Previously:  Quintessential Apple Pie with Bacon Fat Crust
Last Year:  Tropical Pulled Pork on Griddled Banana Bread Sandwiches
Two Years Ago:  A Better Homemade Pasta Recipe
Three Years Ago:  Mushroom Marsala Pizza
Four Years Ago:  Peking Duck Pizza
Seven Years Ago:  Bacon Fat Caramels
Eight Years Ago:  Potato Leek Soup with Bacon

Spatchcock Chicken with Roasted Root Vegetables

A few months ago my friend Ellen posted a gorgeous picture of the best roast chicken she had ever made and challenged us to name the technique she used to make it.  From the picture, I knew immediately it was a spatchcocked chicken, and I've been wanting to try it ever since.  Well, this weekend we needed some cooked chicken to make curry chicken tea sandwiches for Amy's baby shower, so I volunteered to make the chicken instead of just buying a rotisserie chicken.

Spatchcocking a chicken just means cutting out the backbone and then butterflying the chicken so that you can roast it flat.  This way the dark meat and white meat cook more evenly, and you can also cook it a lot faster than roasting it whole.  Usually you have to use a lot of pressure to force the bird to "crack" open, but this post from Epicurious mentions making a notch on the sternum bone/cartilage before flipping the bird over which makes it a lot easier. 

I was also inspired by The Crepes of Wrath's post to dry brine the chicken overnight and roast it on top of vegetables to catch all the delicious drippings.  It reminded me of the roasted potatoes from the Roli Roti food truck at the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmers market. They're piled underneath the spinning rotisserie meat so they absorb all the dripping goodness and then topped with a sprinkle of rosemary salt, which I totally copied here on the potatoes and multi-colored carrots I got in my recent Boston Organics delivery.

The end result is a gloriously moist, crispy skinned chicken with amazingly flavored vegetables using a bare minimum of ingredients.  You can use this same technique to make your Thanksgiving turkey, too!

Spatchcock Chicken with Roasted Root Vegetables
serves 4-6

1 large chicken
Kosher salt
Olive oil
3 lbs. root vegetables, chopped into 3/4" chunks (potatoes, carrots, onions, etc.)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

The night before you want to roast the chicken, pat the chicken dry with paper towels.  Rub about 1/2 cup of kosher salt all over and inside the chicken, even under the skin if possible.  Place a cooling rack on top of a rimmed baking sheet and place the chicken on top of the rack.  Transfer to the refrigerator to dry brine overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 450°F.  Place the chicken breast side down on a cutting board.  Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut out the backbone starting from the tail end.  You can save the backbone for making chicken stock and/or gravy.  Pull the bird open wider and cut through the bone in the center of the breast.  Flip the bird over and flatten so that the thighs are knock-kneed.  Fold the wings underneath.  Brush all over with olive oil.

Wash the baking sheet and line with aluminum foil.  Toss the root vegetables with a few drizzles of olive oil.  Spread on top of the foil and replace the cooling rack.  Place the chicken breast side up on the cooling rack and place the whole thing in the oven.  Roast for 30 minutes at 450°F, then turn the temperature down to 400°F and continue to roast until a thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165°F (about 15-30 minutes, depending on the size of the bird).

Allow the chicken to rest at least 10 minutes before carving.  Mix a tablespoon of kosher salt with the chopped rosemary.  Sprinkle on top of the vegetables and serve alongside the chicken. 

Next:  Sriracha Popcorn
Previously:  Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Two Years Ago:  Duchikey (or Simplified Turducken)

Carrot Ginger Salad Dressing

A few weeks ago I was asked to help out with creating a menu for Japan Night, an event at my church where a missionary family was sharing about their vision for Japan.  We definitely wanted something that was Japanese, or at lease Asian-inspired, and would be easy enough for a small team to cook for upwards of 100 guests in a couple of hours.  After testing a few recipes at home, we ended up with the following menu:

Green Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing

Vegetable Spring Rolls

Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Baked Tofu and Edamame

Matcha Mochi Cupcakes

The spring rolls we bought frozen and just baked them in the oven, but everything else was pretty much made from scratch!

The carrot ginger dressing is the same bright orange dressing you often get at sushi restaurants before the start of a meal.  I never really knew what was in it and had guessed some type of citrus and probably soy, but in fact the main components are carrots, ginger, and miso!  This totally boggles my mind because I normally don't really like carrots or ginger (in a non-sweet dish) but I can't get enough of this dressing.  It must be the miso.  =)

Carrot Ginger Dressing (adapted from goop)

makes a little over a pint

1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh peeled ginger
1 tablespoon sweet white miso
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon roasted sesame seed oil
1/4 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons water

Pulse the carrot, shallot and ginger in a blender until finely chopped.

Scrape down the sides, add the miso, vinegar and sesame seed oil and whiz together. While the blender is going, slowly drizzle in the canola oil and the water.

The dressing will keep refrigerated in an air-tight container for about a week.

I like to eat this over butter lettuce, but we used a mesclun salad at Japan Night.

Next:  Cold Soba Noodle Salad with Baked Tofu and Edamame
Previously:  Backyard Mint Ice Cream with Dark Chocolate Freckles

Roasted Carrot Soup

Look at what I got in my last Boston Organics delivery!

 
Aren't they cute?  I don't even like carrots, and I can't get over how pretty these were.  I knew I definitely wanted to roast them because I've always loved how the carrots look in this post on high-heat roasted vegetables from The Kitchn.  But I didn't really want to eat them after because, again, I don't like carrots.

Then I found this recipe for roasted carrot soup on Food52 which uses fresh thyme, which I was still trying to use up after the Caramelized Onion and Swiss Chard Quiche and Garlic Thyme Popcorn, and everything magically fell into place.  ^_^

Roasted Carrot Soup (adapted from Food52)
makes 4 servings

1 1/4 lbs. carrots (about 9 small carrots)
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt
4 cups vegetable stock (good quality, not too high in sodium)
1 piece ginger, an inch long, peeled
1 sprig thyme, plus more for garnish
1 small sweet onion, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
Popcorn (optional)

 
Peel the carrots, and halve or quarter the larger carrots lengthwise so that they are all about 1/2-inch thick.

 
On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the carrots with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt.

 
Set an oven rack 6 to 8 inches from the heat source and turn on the broiler. Broil the carrots until they brown and soften, turning them over with tongs every 5 minutes or so; this should take 15 to 20 minutes.  Once the carrots have cooled, chop them up into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil, add the ginger and the sprig of thyme and simmer gently for 15 minutes.

 
Put the onion in a medium stock pot with the remaining olive oil. Brown the onion over medium heat, stirring frequently.

 
Add the garlic and then add the carrots to the onions once they have browned.

 
Remove the ginger and thyme from the stock and add the stock to the pot with the onions and carrots. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, until the carrots are soft enough to puree.

Use an immersion or a standard blender to puree the mixture until smooth. If the soup seems too thick, add more stock or water and reheat gently. Add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, garnish with fresh thyme and a few pieces of popcorn.

 
The final verdict:  I liked how creamy the soup was even without any added cream.  But it still tasted like carrots.  =/  If you like carrots, you'll like this soup.  In the meantime, I think I'll stick to making Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting, Carrot Cake Ice Cream, or Curried Carrot Soup the next time I get carrots.  Or maybe I should just put carrots on my no-list again.

Curried Carrot Soup

I got yet another bag of baby carrots in my Boston Organics delivery last week and suddenly remembered one way (other than carrot cake or carrot cake ice cream) that I've enjoyed carrots: in a curried soup. I don't even remember where I first tried it; I think it was either at Au Bon Pain or in one of the soup cartons from Trader Joe's. I just remembered that I couldn't really taste the carrots, which is exactly what I was looking for.

A quick google search gave me Rachael Ray's version as the first hit. It looked simple enough, but I added a few tweaks. I used half an onion and replaced the other half with a shallot since it was all I had. I also halved the amount of butter, added 2 teaspoons of fresh, chopped ginger, and replaced the sour cream with nonfat plain yogurt.

Curried Carrot Soup (adapted from Rachael Ray's recipe here)
makes 4-6 servings

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 shallot, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh peeled ginger, finely chopped
1 pound packaged baby carrots
2 (13.5 oz.) cans chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
Nonfat plain yogurt
Snipped scallions (optional)

Preheat medium pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil, butter, onions, shallots, ginger, and carrots and saute 5 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, curry and cayenne, and about 1 teaspoon salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover and cook until carrots are very tender, about 15 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, carefully puree the soup. Alternatively, you can use a blender to puree the soup in small batches.

Ladle into bowls and top with a heaping spoonful of yogurt (or sour cream) and scallions.

If you don't have yogurt or sour cream, you can also add a swirl of cream into the soup to balance out the spices, but you'll lose the tanginess of the yogurt.

Carrot Cake Ice Cream

I did say that the next time I got carrots in my Boston Organics delivery I would make carrot cake ice cream, and I am a woman of my word. I basically followed David Lebovitz's recipe from the L.A. Times except I substituted raisins and rum for the currants and whiskey for the simple reason that I didn't have the latter two.

Carrot Cake Ice Cream (based on David Lebovitz's recipe here)
makes about 1 quart

For the rum-soaked raisins:

1/4 cup raisins
2 tablespoons rum

Combine the raisins and rum in a small bowl. Cover and let sit overnight in the refrigerator.

For the spiced pecans:

1 cup pecan halves
1 tablespoon butter, melted

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Pre-heat the oven to 350 °F. Toss the pecans with the butter.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar and salt. Pour the mixture over the pecans and toss to coat completely.

Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and cook for 12 minutes, gently stirring halfway during baking to candy the nuts. Remove the tray to a rack and cool the nuts completely. Once cool, coarsely chop the pecans. Set aside.

For the candied carrots:

2 cups finely diced carrots
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 cups water

In a medium saucepan, combine the carrots, sugar, corn syrup and water. Bring to a low boil and cook until the syrup is reduced to about 2 tablespoons and the carrots are translucent and candied, 20 to 30 minutes. Keep an eye on the carrots during the last few minutes so they do not burn. Drain the carrots and set aside to cool.

For the ice cream base and assembly:

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream (regular or low-fat)

2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon chopped lemon zest
Spiced pecans
Rum-soaked raisins
Candied carrots

In a large bowl using a hand mixer, blend together the cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and lemon zest until smooth. Chill thoroughly.

Freeze the base in an ice cream maker. After churning, gently fold in the spiced pecans, soaked raisins, and candied carrot cubes. Freeze until firm.

This was definitely one of the prettiest ice creams I've ever made. The candied carrots almost glowed like semi-precious gems studding the white canvas of the ice cream, and the matte brown of the spice pecans added a nice change up of texture. As for the taste, while it didn't taste exactly like a carrot cake, I did like how you couldn't taste the carrots. My favorite part was the spiced pecans, probably because of the butter and spices. If I made this again, I'd probably add some more of the spices to the ice cream base itself to make it more reminiscent of a carrot cake.

 

Next:  Coconut Curry Noodles with Collard Greens

Previously:  Stuffed Artichokes

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

I don't like carrots but ended up with a whole pound of them from Boston Organics in my latest delivery. This wouldn't have been a problem back when I was a kid because my brother liked them, so anytime I had carrots I would just give them to him. But now that my brother lives on the opposite side of the country, I am forced to do things like make carrot cake cupcakes. Alas, the tragedy of it all. By the way, my brother's birthday is this Sunday so happy birthday, Timmy, and pretend I made and mailed these to you!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting (based on the recipe from Tartelette's site)
makes 30 cupcakes

For the cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¾ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder
4 large eggs
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound carrots, grated medium fine

For the frosting:
12 oz. cream cheese softened
2 1/ 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
Zest of 1 orange
2 sticks butter, softened
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line muffin tins with cupcake liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs at high speed until light and frothy, about one minute. Decrease the speed to medium and add the oil, vanilla, sugar, and salt and mix just until combines. Decrease the speed to low and add the flour mixture until just combined. Using a spatula, fold in the carrots.

Fill each cupcake liner halfway with batter. Bake for 18 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Combine the cream cheese, sugar, and zest with an electric mixer. Start on low speed and then increase to medium high speed and beat until smooth. Add the butter and mix on medium speed until just fluffy and smotth, about 45 seconds. Add the vanilla and mix until just combined. Do not overbeat.

The original recipe was for a layer cake, but I thought it translated well to cupcake form. The only issue I had was for the first batch I filled the liners about 2/3 - 3/4 full and the batter ended up overflowing onto the tin when it baked. Adding orange rind to the cream cheese frosting is ingenious and adds a vibrant aromatic and a very subtle whiff of tartness to the otherwise very sweet topping. If I had wanted to go the extra mile, I would've added a sprinkle of additional orange zest on top or maybe finely chopped crystallized ginger. I thought about a carrot curl, but then I'd be defeating the purpose of making these cupcakes because I don't like the taste of carrots.

Off to Mount Tremblant and Montreal!