Fall is coming!!!
Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. The root vegetables are in their prime and full of all those natural sugars. Let’s face it, everyone loves sweets. This recipe delivers that with a different twist. Here we are celebrating one of the most widely used root vegetables, the carrot! We are serving it with a freshly made farmer’s cheese.
As a seasoned chef with many years of preparing different recipes with a wide variety of techniques using the freshest products and ingredients on the market, I first prepared this recipe a few years ago when my friends visited me in my home and I will tell you how it went. There is nothing like ending a crisp fall day with a warm, homemade meal bursting with all the flavors of the season.
We started off by visiting a PPC grocery store here in Seattle to buy all the ingredients needed for this recipe and we went back home. We went a little overboard with this recipe, spending much of our time cooking and eating than doing anything else. I prepared this recipe with all the ingredients we bought (though my friends helped me out in the kitchen) and it was a total hit. It was delicious, and we all enjoyed it! A friend almost ate the plate together with the meal….. LOL…. It was really delicious!
The time we spent together while preparing this dish was memorable. It brought us closer once more after a long time.
You can also try this recipe with your family and friends.
ROAST CARROTS WITH PEPPERED HONEY AND FRESH FARMER’S CHEESE
This recipe is a great fall side dish or star of the show for a vegetarian dinner. Roast carrots with fresh farmer cheese and peppered honey will wow any crowd, from 1 to 20 people. This is an easy make-ahead dish that can be served hot or cold. The peppered honey offers a hit of a kick to offset the sweetness of the carrots and creaminess of the cheese.
The pictured dish was for a plated dinner but can easily be scaled up to fit many guests.
Root vegetables are always a hit at any fall event. Carrots are one of my favorites. The farmer’s cheeses will hold its own on any cheese board or stuffing for roast chicken.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 QT WHOLE MILK
- 1 QT HEAVY CREAM
- 1 QT BUTTERMILK
- 20 SPRIGS DILL
- 1 BUNCH GREEN ONION
- 1 BUNCH PARSLEY
- 1/3 CUP EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
- 1 TBSP SALT
- SALT TO TASTE
- 1/3 CUP HONEY
- 2 TBSP FRESH CRACKED BLACK PEPPER
- 4-5 BUNCHES RAINBOW CARROTS
- 3 TBSP EVOO
- 2 TSP SALT
- 1 TSP PEPPER
The ingredients for this recipe are available in most grocery stores around you. If you live in Seattle, you can buy them in one of these grocery stores.
PREPARATION
The cheese is super easy to make. Start with equal parts cream and milk in a large stockpot over medium heat. Tie all the herbs together with twine for easy retrieval and add them in. Slowly bring the mixture up to 185 degrees.
** By slowly bringing the mixture up to temperature, you will yield more cheese. Once you start seeing steam coming up (about 10 minutes) you can add the 1 tbsp salt.
Cheese is the coagulation of milk fats by an acid. The heavy cream and whole milk are necessary for this recipe for their high-fat content while the buttermilk acts as your acid.
Once you have reached 185 degrees, you can slowly pour in the buttermilk and do not stir. Slowly bring the mixture back to 185 degrees and by now you will see the curds forming. Allow it to cool for 15-30 minutes then remove the herbs and transfer into a bowl. Add the olive oil and salt to taste and optionally cool on a parchment-lined sheet tray to serve chilled.
Toss the carrots in the olive oil, salt, and pepper then roast at 375-400 degrees convection for about 15 minutes. I like to pan roast mine by starting in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Roast for 5 minutes or until the carrots start turning brown then finish in 350 degrees in an oven for 15minutes. Toss in the peppered honey and serve on the farmer’s cheese. Ooh, la la…..
