Braised Baby Carrots with Rosemary Infused Maple Pecan Glaze

views the best pictures

All I was in charge of this time was a couple of side dishes.  It was my turn to be treated to  a scrumptious peppercorn encrusted grilled steak topped with a honey and blue cheese topping.  So I made some garlic and Parmesan mashed potatoes and these absolutely delightful braised baby carrots.

Ingredients:

• baby carrots
• butter
• cinnamon
• maple syrup
• chopped pecans
• sprig of rosemary*
• *variations to this below recipe

*Even better when you add a final sprinkling of cracked black pepper to finish these off.  Something about that bite of the pepper really brings out the flavors in this dish.

*For another variation, rather than the pecans, add a chiffonade of  a few fresh sage leaves at the very end of cooking.

Method:

• add the baby carrots to a pot of simmering-boiling water and cook until about 2/3 done
• gently drain the carrots.. being careful not to break them
• in a small seasoned black iron skillet, add a couple of pats of butter
• cook on medium-high until butter is very hot and bubbly
• add the carrots
• cook in the butter until the butter gets a little brown color
• now lower heat to medium
• add a sprinkle of cinnamon over the carrots
• add 2 -3 Tbsp maple syrup and a handful of chopped pecans over the carrots
• add part of a sprig of rosemary (about 3 inches worth) that has been stripped and chopped
• allow the liquid to reduce down to a glaze
• turn off the heat and allow to sit and thicken a bit
• CAREFULLY remove to a plate.  They will be very tender now and will break easily.
• Spoon the glaze and pecans over individual portions

Food Notes:

Braising is a (usually slow) cooking method that is begun on the stove top then followed by simmering in liquid. Braising is a popular way to cook less tender cuts of meat. When cooking vegetables, the method is an effective way to infuse them with the flavor of the braising liquid.

The rare photo of me actually sitting to eat...