Holiday Recipe

Maple Carrot Purée with Pomegranate & Walnuts

Posted

Serves 8
This dish is not only festive to look at, it is also a good vegan option for your holiday celebration. Additionally, it can be made a day ahead and reheated in the oven or on the stovetop, just be sure to hold off on topping with the pomegranate arils and walnuts until serving time.

• 4 pounds carrots, peeled, trimmed, sliced in half lengthwise, then sliced crosswise into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup local maple syrup (preferably Grade A Amber)

• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, or 2 teaspoons dried
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup water for puréeing
• the seeds (arils) of one pomegranate (see pomegranate note)
• 1 cup toasted walnuts (see walnut note)

Preheat the oven to 375 ̊F.

In a medium covered baking dish (such as a Pyrex casserole dish), combine the carrots, olive oil, maple syrup, 1/2 cup water, thyme and ground ginger, then season with salt and pepper.

Roast the carrots until they areeasily pierced with a fork, approximately 45 minutes.

Remove the carrots from the oven and allow them to cool for 20 to 30 minutes before puréeing.

In a food processor or blender, purée one-quarter of the carrots and accumulated liquid at a time, adding in 2 tablespoons of water as necessary. The purée is meant to be thick, so it may require a little scraping down of carrots back toward the blade for each batch. If you prefer your purée to be less thick, simply add more water until it’s the consistency that you prefer.

Return the purée to a clean baking dish, season with salt and pepper, then reheat, covered, in the oven at 350 ̊F until it’s returned to serving temperature, 15 to 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can reheat it in a saucepan on the stove top, then transfer it to a serving bowl.

Sprinkle the pomegranate arils and toasted walnuts over top of the dish, and serve it.

Pomegranate Note:
It’s easiest to remove the seeds (arils) while the fruit is submerged in a bowl of water. Slice the pomegranate in half, submerge each half and slide your fingers under the seeds, they’ll drop to the bottom of the bowl, then pour the mix through a fine mesh colander, and remove any pith from the seeds before serving.

Toasted Walnuts Note:
Roasted until golden brown at 350 ̊F, 12 to 15 minutes for whole walnuts, 6 to 8 minutes for halves/pieces, allow them to cool, then use a clean kitchen towel to remove the skins.

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