Carote/Carrots

I hit the Farmer’s Market this weekend and scored big!  First, I was able to see my friend, Autumn, who I haven’t seen much since we both left the restaurant several months back.  Somewhat (still) new to the city, she has been eager to learn about the fantastic foodie finds and restaurant supply stores many of us have grown to know and love. She’s an amazing chef (who showed me the tasty fresh garbanzo bean puree), so you can imagine her happiness when she saw all the fresh and unique ingredients the Market carries.

A first visit to Atlanta’s Dekalb Farmer’s Market can be quite an experience, so I suggested we meet up on the early side.  Once upon a time, an arrival time anywhere between 9-11 pretty much ensured easily maneuverable aisles.  Now?  It’s crowded all the time!  Nonetheless, I was able to check off everything off my grocery list and she was able to find ingredients to use as she develops a new menu for work.

Among the many amazingly fresh and delicious goodies that jumped in my cart, a couple of bunches of rainbow stood out. How beautiful do these look are these?

I didn’t want to get too fancy with the carrots because they are wonderful by themselves.  I intially thought a simple boil or roast.  Then, thanks to Lori at Tasteblog, I made her delicious Roasted Rainbow Carrots & Miso Butter.

Similar Lori, I tossed the washed and peeled carrots in a small amount of toasted sesame oil.  I proceeded a little differently from there in that I seasoned the carrots with sea salt and pepper. After roasting themin a preheated oven to 350°, on a sheet pan in a single layer like she suggested, I took them out when the carrots were (slightly resistant) fork tender. Then, I immediately spread the room temperature butter on the carrots instead of brushing on a melted version.

I appreciated Lori’s tip about roasting the purple carrots in a separate pan to keep the color from bleeding onto the other carrots. However, my purplies weren’t really deep in color, so I just put them to one side, far away from the yellows.

The real star of this side dish, though? The miso butter, for sure.  I also used some of the butter on roasted potatoes (a post for later in the week) and wow.  That is all I can say.  Wow!  Wow!  Okay, maybe I will add a “Yum”, too!

Ginger Garlic Miso Butter

As seen on Taste with the Eyes
½ cup softened butter
2 Tbsp. white miso
1 ½  tsp. garlic minced
1 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger minced

Blend all ingredients in a food processor. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.