Surprised by the title of this post? Monet was not only a great painter, but also a lover of good food. When we visited his home/museum in Giverny a few years ago, Phil bought the book “Monet’s Table: The Cooking Journals of Claude Monet”, full of wonderful pictures of his garden and home, including the amazing kitchen. The book even shares a recipe for his favorite cake that he requested every year for his Birthday. That very cake was a technical challenge in the Great British Bake Off a few years ago. Browsing the recipes, the first thing I noticed is how cooking changed over the decades. We now rely so much on ingredients, spices and produce from all over the world. Miso, pomegranate molasses, harissa, dried limes… In Monet’s time it was all quite different. One of the components that was present in many recipes – even the most basic veggie concoctions – was rich beef or chicken broth. For the most part, that was how they intensified flavors. This is a recipe for glazed carrots that intrigued me because it is so different from the way I “understand” glazed carrots. I made it, we loved it, therefore I share…
MONET’S GLAZED CARROTS
(adapted from Monet’s Table)
3 cups of carrots, cut in slices, not too thin, not to thick
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
4 sprigs parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup beef broth (I used canned from Rachael Ray)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon powdered sugar (yes, you read that correctly)
additional parsley to serve (optional)
Cook the carrots in 3 cups salted boiling water for 5 minutes, drain, reserving 1/4 cup liquid.
In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring. Add the parsley, salt, pepper, reserved carrot cooking liquid, and the beef broth. Stir well, then add the lemon juice, powdered sugar and carrots. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to as low as it will go, and leave the lid slightly open so that the liquid will reduce. Cook for one hour, or until the carrots are cooked and glazed.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
Comments: Several things intrigued me about this recipe. I never imagined starting with a roux, using beef broth, and adding a touch of powdered sugar. It also seemed like an awfully long time to cook the carrots. The whole time I kept telling myself – this won’t have a happy ending. But I was proved wrong, way wrong. It ended up less sweet than some of the glazed carrots I’ve made in the past, and with more complex flavor, which I am sure comes from the beef broth.
This was a Polar Vortex dinner that we cooked together. I made the carrots, and Phil prepared a pot roast, simple but I must say it turned out outstanding (sorry ladies, he is taken). To deglaze the pan to make the gravy, he used some of the water I cooked the carrots and that was a winning move. A real back to basics meal. Which sometimes is all we need.
ONE YEAR AGO: Brownies, Three Ways
TWO YEARS AGO: Berry Rebellion Tarts (one of my favorite blog posts)
THREE YEAR AGO: Emilie Raffa’s High Hydration Sourdough
FOUR YEARS AGO: Short-Ribs with Chickpeas and Chard
FIVE YEARS AGO: Asian-Style Short Ribs
SIX YEARS AGO: Herbed Goat Cheese Souffles
SEVEN YEARS AGO: Barley Risotto with Peas
EIGTH YEARS AGO: Jammin’ Blueberry Sour Milk Pancakes
NINE YEARS AGO: Scallops with Black Pasta in Orange Cream Sauce
TEN YEARS AGO: Stir-fried Chicken with Creamed Corn
ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Potato, Cheddar, and Chive Torpedo
That sounds totally delish to me and I’m not even that crazy about carrots 🙂 I made the best beef stock on the weekend from the recipetineats website in my slow cooker so must use some of it in this dish.
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I am not a huge cooked carrot lover either but this recipe will be copied . . . and eaten with just a meat dish as you have – Phil’s pot roast does look succulent ! I have never been to Giverny but regularly see its beauties in photo-form . . . and I had read about the book ! Talking of The Great British bake Off, I am having the time of my life at the moment watching the Kiwi version – a very warm, interesting exact copycat filmed in NZ in a very similar set-up to the ‘Tent’ . . . two great judges, beautifully picked contestants and a really likable warm feeling . . . anyway thanks . . . and could you give a long, loving pat to my favourite boy and say ’tis from me . . . .
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I hear the show is awesome and have a link to watch it online but have not yet done so….
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Both the carrots and pot roast look delicious! I’m very interested in that book. “Cooking journals”. I’ll keep my eye out for a decently priced second hand copy.
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I was actually quite surprised at the price!!!! Glad we got it at the museum, I don’t remember how much it was but definitely a lot cheaper!
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Wouldn’t cooking the carrots 1:05 make them kind of mushy? I do glazed carrots with water, butter and rum and cook for about 15 minutes. I do love the ingredients here however and will have to revisit the book. Cheers, Peter
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that’s why I blogged about it. It seems wrong, but it is not. Don’t cut the slices too thin, though
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What an interesting book and interesting recipe! Sounds like a perfect meal to stay warm during the polar vortex.
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I am also surprised you don’t end up with carrot puree. A few years ago I met a professor from UC Davis whose expertise was in food history, he was fascinating to speak with and very knowledgeable about how food preparation and eating has changed over the centuries. Your cookbook sounds very interesting and I look forward to more recipes.
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