Recipe: Go Nuts for this Perfect Wine and Food Pairing
It’s (almost) Thanksgiving and you need wine. What you need is Chardonnay, quite possibly the world’s most versatile white food wine.
Our resident chef Claire Tansey has designed the perfect side dish for a lean-to-medium weight, crisp Chardonnay. Her Roast Carrots with Spiced Butter and Nuts throws all the right flavour elements into the mix.
The sweetness of the carrot, the nuttiness of the roasted butter, the ginger, cumin and allspice — these are all part of the flavour profile of Chardonnay. And the nutty crunch of pecans (or walnuts) add both taste and chomp. It’s a texture-and-flavour experience!
For the ultimate pairing, try the Flat Rock Cellars 2015 Rusty Shed Chardonnay. Order today and receive by September 15!
Roasted Carrots with Spiced Butter & Nuts
From Claire Tansey's Kitchen
This recipe makes a great side dish for whatever your traditional Thanksgiving main may be—whether roast beef, turkey or something else altogether!
Recipe type: Side dish
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
2 tbsp butter, at room temperature
¼ tsp each cumin and ground ginger
Pinch of allspice
2 lbs carrots
1 tbsp canola oil
¼ tsp salt
1/3 cup chopped toasted pecans or walnuts
Lemon wedges
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. Mash butter with spices then transfer to a piece of plastic wrap and roll into a small cylinder. Twist both ends (like a candy wrapper) and chill while carrots roast.
Peel carrots and slice in half lengthwise or in quarters if they are bigger than 1-inch in diameter. Transfer to prepared sheet and drizzle with oil. Toss to coat, then sprinkle with salt. Roast 20 to 25 min or until tender. Slice spiced butter and immediately lay overtop hot carrots. Sprinkle with pecans. Serve with lemon wedges.
Claire Tansey is a recipe developer, culinary teacher, writer and lover of delicious food. She was most recently the Food Director at Chatelaine and makes regular appearances on CityLine, inspiring people to enjoy cooking so we can all lead happier, healthier lives.
In my Indian cookbooks it always says to toast the cumin when using it as you indicate in the recipe, i.e. uncooked. I would prefer to add the cumin and ginger together with the nuts to the carrots before roasting them.
Carrots are abundant in the stores right now. I’m going to have this dish for supper tonight.