Ruby Tuesday

Hello 2013! I'm looking forward to a new year filled with inspired cooking and exciting eating exploits. These past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of family, friends and feasting--maybe a little too much feasting. A big hit at one of those dinners was this beautiful side dish, and that's saying a lot around here. Carrots are usually not a popular food item in my household--for some reason, my kids just never took a liking to them. Must be hereditary, because it's an old family joke that my Grandma would insist on serving carrots often, though my Grandpa didn't like them. But he would never complain: he would smile at her, push the carrots around his plate, and never, ever eat them. Well, these carrots, simply roasted and tossed in a tangy sweet glaze, are gorgeously glistening, and tantalizingly tasty. They'll turn heads and change minds.

Pomegranate Carrots

Aren't these maroon carrots stunning? I was lucky to find them at my market; they work perfectly with their ruby red glaze. If you can't find maroon or rainbow carrots, choose the freshest carrots you can find, preferably with their stems and leaves still attached.

This recipe is simplicity personified, but it does require one special component: pomegranate molasses. The molasses lends an essential tangy quality to the sweet glaze. This middle eastern ingredient is getting easier to find--look for it in the ethnic section of your market.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel the carrots and cut off their stems leaving about an inch--it looks pretty and they're totally edible. Halve lengthwise, or quarter them if they're very thick.

In a large bowl, toss the carrots with olive oil, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. I like the salt and pepper to be a little coarser than usual for this dish.

Lay the carrots out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Place in the oven to roast for 18 minutes.

Add pomegranate molasses and honey to the same large bowl and whisk together.

Carefully place the hot carrots in the bowl and toss with the pomegranate honey mixture.

Transfer the carrots back to the baking sheet along with any extra glaze. Return to the oven for     5 minutes more. Finish with a sprinkle of fleur de sel and serve the roasted carrots immediately.

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Serves 4-6:

2 bunches carrots with stems attached, 
   maroon or rainbow if you can find them

2 tablespoons olive oil

sea salt

freshly cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

1 tablespoon honey

fleur de sel for finishing