Today’s Special: Carrots

"Have you ever seen a rabbit wear glasses?" my mother used to ask when one someone balked at eating carrots. The absurdity made us groan. Too bad the rabbits' good fortune never rubbed off on me, as I've been pretty helpless without a pair of specs since the age of ten.

Carrots are great for snacks. Bring a bag of baby carrots on your next road trip. It's a nice tasty alternative to a bag of chips as you drive. I've been pleasantly surprised in the last year, or so, as colleagues have started bring in fresh vegetables and fruits as a contribution for the workplace "candy bowl."

Now that carry-out restaurants, such as Subway, have added an alternative set of "sides" to their offerings it's raised awareness, or made it "acceptable." It's a good thing. But, I didn't come this evening to only talk about snacks. Carrots fit into lots of places on the menu.

If there's a friendly word of advice I can offer about them, make sure they are fresh. Carrots lose their sweetness as they age in a plastic bag on the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. And if you still have a little patch of garden that you haven't decided what to do with, try some carrots. There really is nothing like fresh vegetables that have just been picked.

Here's hoping that you find an interesting, or new way to prepare Bugs Bunny's favorite food tonight. Our first recipe is a superb soup that makes a great lunch dish, or a first course of an elegant dinner.

Cream of Carrot with Ginger Soup

Ingredients:
2 tbs. butter
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
1 ½ lbs. young carrots, peeled and sliced
3 tbs. shredded fresh ginger
6 c. chicken stock
1 c. milk
1 ½ c. light cream
1 tsp. salt
large pinch freshly ground pepper
Optional: ¼ c. minced fresh dill weed instead of ginger

Method:
1) Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Cook the onions uncovered over low heat until translucent, about 15 minutes.
2) Add the carrots and shredded ginger, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Bring he chicken stock to a simmer in a separate saucepan while the carrots are cooking. Add the stock to the carrot mixture and boil gently over medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until the carrots are fork tender.
3) Remove the heat and add the milk. Allow to cool for a few minutes before putting the soup in a blender, or food processor.
4) Stir in the cream, salt and pepper to taste.
5) Reheat the soup gently; don't let it come to a boil.
Serves 6.

Next up is a carrot loaf. I found the recipe in Wolfgang Puck's Modern French Cooking many years ago in the vegetable chapter. Frankly, I think it makes a great main course too. The eggs and cheese add a hardiness that's perfect for a meatless dish.

Carrot Loaf

Ingredients:
2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into ¼-inch slices
5 ounces unsalted butter
¼ lb. mushrooms, sliced
½ lb. spinach, cleaned, with stems removed
5 eggs
4 ounces grated Swiss cheese
1 tsp. Swiss cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Method:
1) Saute the carrots slowly in 2 ounces butter until tender. Chop coarsely and reserve in a large mixing bowl.
2) Over high-heat, sauté the mushrooms in 1 ounce butter for 2 minutes. Chop coarsely and add then to the carrots.
3) Saute spinach in 1 ounce butter. Chop coarsely and reserve separately. When the spinach is cool, add 1 egg and mix thoroughly.
4) Beat together the remaining eggs and the cheese. Combine this mixture thoroughly with the carrots and mushrooms. Add the salt and pepper.
5) Line an 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½-inch loaf pan with aluminum foil. Butter the foil with the remaining ounce of butter. Fill the pan with half of the carrot mixture, cover with the spinach, and top with the remaining carrot mixture.
6) Place in a bain-marie*, and bake at 400˚ for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
7) Invert onto a warm serving platter and remove the foil. Slice and serve immediately.

Serves 8, as a vegetable.

The loaf can be make in advance and baked when needed.

* Bain-marie is using a water bath to gently and gradually brings food to temperature. In this recipe it also helps keep the dish moist.

Interested in a little dessert? There's something about carrot cake that seems so healthy and nutritious to me. Well, ok... It's not, especially with all that cream cheese and sugar in the frosting, but it sure tastes great and if on the odd day it survives being completely devoured, it's still moist and tender the next.

This cake is a fond memory of my Bakers' Dozen group. The candied ginger addition to the recipe was my idea. If you're not a big fan of it you can reduce the amount to about an eighth of a cup and still pick up a faint hint, or just omit it entirely.

Pineapple Coconut Carrot Cake

Ingredients:
1 ½ c. vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1 ½ c. sugar
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbs. cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
2 ½ c. carrots, finely grated
1 c. coconut, shredded or flaked
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple, drained
½ c. chopped nuts

Method:
1) Preheat your oven to 350̊ F. Lightly grease a 10” x 14” cake pan or 9” x 13” cake pan.
2) Beat the oil, eggs, vanilla and sugar together for two minutes.
3) Blend the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together and stir to combine. Add the liquid ingredients and stir just enough to blend them. Gently fold in the grated carrots, coconut, pineapple and nuts.
4) Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the 10” x 14” pan or 45 to 50 minutes in the 9” x 13” pan. After the cake is done, cool it completely.
5) Frost with the Cream Cheese Frosting recipe below.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
¼ to ½ c. butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 ½ c. (1lb. box) confectioner’s sugar
1 c. chopped nuts
¼ c. minced candied ginger or 1 tsp. ground ginger
Milk to make the frosting spreadable.

Method:
Combine the butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Beat until light and fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, beating well. Stir in the nuts and/or ginger. Add milk, a very little at a time, until the frosting is a spreadable consistency. This makes enough for a large 10” x 14” cake.

Care for a cookie, or two?

This recipe also came my way in the same Bakers' Dozen meeting. If my memory serves me right it came from Gourmet magazine.

Inside Out Carrot Cake Cookies

Ingredients:
1 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick (1/2 c.) unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c. plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/3 c. plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 c. coarsely grated carrots (2 medium)
1 scant c. walnuts (3 oz.), chopped
1/2 c. raisins (2 1/2 oz.)
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. honey

Method:
1) Put oven rack in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375. Butter 2 baking sheets.
2) Whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
3) Beat together butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in carrots, nuts, and raisins at low speed, then add flour mixture and beat until just combined.
4) Drop 1 1/2 tablespoons batter per cookie 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake, switching position of sheets halfway through baking until cookies are lightly browned and springy to the touch, 12 to 16 minutes total. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 1 minute, then transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
5) While cookies are baking, blend cream cheese and honey in a food processor until smooth.
6) Sandwich flat sides of cookies together with a generous tablespoon of cream cheese filling in between.

Makes about 13 cookies

Bon Appetit!