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Carrots with Whiskey and Ginger is all about the carrots. There’s just enough glaze to coat them and give each serving a small extra spoonful. The sweetness is very light; these carrots are firmly in the savory zone. The ginger looses its bite in the glaze, but retains its amazing flavor. It’s the whiskey, which adds a deep intrigue, that really sets this dish apart.

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Makes 4 very generous servings

According to the French, manning a kitchen requires you to mise en place any prep work listed among the ingredients (peeling, chopping, measuring) before you start in on the directions. I rarely do this, because I’m
not French
such a rebellious sonofabitch
lazy. However, this recipe moves along fast enough that you’ll regret not having done the prep beforehand. And oh, by the way, according to the Romans, carrots are sexy. So, don’t serve this dish to just anyone.

When measuring out the whiskey, inevitably some of it will overflow the tablespoon. To avoid making a mess, hold the spoon over a rocks glass filled with ice and pour as sloppily as the spirit leads you. Just make sure a bit more than an ounce-worth makes it into the sauté pan. Use something good. I like Maker’s Mark, which I’ve been drinking ever since it found its way this far north. Continually, I mean. In spite of their ironic labelling practices. They make their whiskey in a state full of ‘Mericans, yet refuse to use the American spelling of the word “whiskey.”

The glaze for these carrots goes equally nicely with roasted chicken, so we suggest you make these carrots as a side for some delicious chicken. Store any leftover chicken with any remaining carrots and glaze, and reheat them together later, with a splash of water.

Ingredients:

1 lb young, thin carrots, peeled or scrubbed
1½ oz. butter (3 Tbs)
1 oz. light brown sugar (2 Tbs) substitute dark brown
¾ oz. minced or grated fresh ginger (3 Tbs) 
1¼ oz. good whiskey (3 Tbs)
6 or 7 oz. freshly squeezed orange juice (from one orange)
Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. I prefer to use thin carrots for this dish, but I realize that you can’t always get what you want. So, consider this: locate the thinnest carrot of the bunch. If its diameter at the thickest part is close to or less than ½-inch, leave it and any other carrot with a similar diameter whole. Locate the largest carrot of the bunch. If its diameter at the thickest part is an inch or more, set it and any carrot like it aside into a “large” pile. Cut the remaining carrots in half lengthwise. Cut the “large” carrots the same way, but then cut each of them in half lengthwise again. What you have now is a bunch of thin carrots. You’re welcome. (If you have extraordinarily large carrots, you might have to keep bisecting them until they seem reasonably “thin,” although you might consider feeding them to the deer. Extra-large carrots aren’t tasty, IMHO. I like to leave about a half-inch of the greens attached. If you have carrots with just ugly brown nubbins, or course, cut them off.)
2. Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan. Add carrots and fry them until softened (the carrots will become limp, but at the thick end, they won’t yet be tender), about 5 minutes. Add sugar and ginger, and fry for 2 minutes, or until sugar is dissolved. Add whiskey and orange juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook until carrots are to your liking (for me, that’s about 5 minutes). If, by that time, the liquid has not boiled down to a syrup, remove the carrots, reduce the liquid, then put the carrots back in the pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, with a tiny spoonful of glaze over the servings.

Got leftover ginger?

Put it into a small saucepan and cover it with about an inch or so of water. Pour the water from a measuring cup, so you have some idea of how much you used. Add sugar so you have a 2:1 ratio of water to sugar. Bring it to a boil, and simmer it for a good long time. Strain it through a fine-mesh sieve and use the syrup to make Ginger Whiskey Highballs. Have a few before dinner.

Carrots with Ginger and Whiskey

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Inspiré par Un peu gay dans les coings…

I am so deeply thrilled to find that this post has been retweeted in the Red Head News (which is somehow a subsidiary of Red Head Dating). I’ve always had a special fondness for red-heads – my first love was a firely one –  but I had no idea my interest in ginger would win me this honor. Thank you, Red Head News.

Credits for all images on this page: Make It Like a Man! Hover over images and/or green text for pop-up info. Click will do what clicking does.

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