~ Oven-Roasted, Maple-Glazed, Candied Carrots ~
My mother never made candied carrots. My girlfriend Brenda's mother made candied carrots. Brenda's mother, Meryle, was a Southern Belle kinda gal, and, she always served candied carrots with ham, which, oddly, she served a lot. What do I mean by "oddly a lot"? Well, when I was in elementary school, I used to go to Brenda's house after school (and vice versa), often, to play with Barbie dolls (Brenda and I both had elaborate setups in our respective bedrooms for our many Barbies, her relatives, her cars and her dream houses). I ate a lot of Brenda's mom's canned ham, candied carrots and green beans during those formative years!
Brenda's mom made her candied carrots with brown sugar. I am sure of it. How can I be sure? Because I asked her and she told me. That ingredient was the only reason that I liked her candied carrots. Why? Minus the brown sugar, during this time period in my life, you couldn't pay me to eat a boiled carrot. My mother made roasted carrots, which I loved, and, I liked raw carrots too, but boiled carrots: not so much!
Over the years, I've eaten many versions of candied carrots. The best ones are roasted, not boiled. All versions contain butter and a sweetener of some sort: brown sugar, honey or maple syrup. In my opinion, maple syrup is by far the best. I first ate them prepared with maple syrup in Killington, Vermont back in 1985 and never looked back. There is just something about pure New England maple syrup that was made for oven-roasted carrots!
Besides salt and pepper, most versions also contain a spice or a seed (like ground allspice or ginger, or, whole fennel or caraway seeds), which is usually determined by what you are serving the carrots with (I'm using fennel seed today). If you're inclined to add a minced, bright-green fresh herb, which I do on occasion, toss it in when the candied carrots come out of the oven... not when they're going in. Why? Fresh herbs blacken during the roasting process. Got it? Good!!!
2 pounds peeled and 1/4"-thick, bias-sliced or coined carrots
1/4 cup butter, melted (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2-1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seed (optional)
1/2 teaspoon allspice or ginger (optional)
1 tablespoon minced fresh herb of choice, tossed in after roasting (optional)
no-stick cooking spray
~ Step 1. Prep the carrots as directed and place in a large bowl as you work. On stovetop or in microwave, melt the butter. Add the butter, maple syrup, salt, white pepper and any optional seeds and/or spices. Using a large rubber spatula, thoroughly combine.
~ Step 2. Transfer carrots to a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish that has been sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.
~ Step 3. Roast, uncovered, on center rack of preheated 375 degree oven for 1 1/2 hours, stopping to stir/toss with a large spoon about every 15 minutes.
Note: During the roasting time, the carrots will have lost almost all of their moisture and the syrup and butter will have formed a beautiful, glaze. Because the carrots have lost their moisture, they are greatly reduced in volume, which is why there's just 4-6 servings. Remove from oven. Rest carrots about 5 minutes, restir, and serve:
Oven-Roasted, Maple-Glazed, Candied Carrots: Recipe yields 4-6 servings.
Special Equipment List: vegetable peeler; cutting board; chef's knife; large rubber spatula; 1 1/2-quart casserole; large spoon
Cook's Note: I'm not serving my carrots with ham today. You can find my recipe for ~ Mel's E-Z Chicken & Rice Dinner "a la Uncle Ben" ~ in Categories 3, 19 or 20!
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photographs courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/Copyright 2012)
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