(StatePoint) To celebrate spring, Carla Hall, renowned chef, author, and television host, offers two delicious recipes that make carrots the star ingredient of the season.
“The thing I love most about the humble carrot is its versatility. It can be a snack, a salad, a dessert, a side dish or the basis for most soups and sauces,” says Hall.
McCormick spices agrees, reporting that recipe searches for roasting carrots are trending over the past year in internet searches and on their website, making it the perfect choice for vibrant spring dishes.
With roasted veggies on people’s minds, Hall created Roasted Carrots-in-a Blanket – a fun, carrot-y spin on the traditional pigs-in-a-blanket. The roasted carrots, seasoned with paprika, ground mustard, and rosemary, are wrapped in a light and flaky pastry.
Carrots in a Blanket
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon McCormick Gourmet Organic Ground Coriander
1 teaspoon McCormick Ground Mustard
1 teaspoon McCormick Paprika
1/2 teaspoon McCormick Rosemary Leaves, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon McCormick Black Pepper Grinder
1 package (16 ounces) baby carrots
3 cans (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent roll dough
Carrot Mustard Sauce
• 2 1/2 cup French’s Stone Ground Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Black Pepper Grinder
• 1/4 teaspoon McCormick Pure Lemon Extract
• 1/4 cup water
Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix butter, orange juice, honey, spices, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add carrots; toss to coat well. Arrange carrots in a single layer on a large parchment-lined sheet pan.
Roast 20 to 25 minutes or just until tender. Allow to cool slightly.
For the Carrot Mustard Sauce, transfer 1/2 cup of the roasted carrots to a blender container or food processor. Add mustard, spices, extract, and water. Cover. Purée until completely smooth. Set aside.
Unroll crescent dough onto a clean surface (do not separate triangles). Brush about 2 tablespoons of the Carrot Mustard Sauce evenly over each sheet of crescent dough. Reserve remaining sauce for serving. Use a pizza cutter to cut along perforations, then cut each triangle lengthwise into three separate triangles. Place one cooled carrot on the wide side of each dough triangle, then roll towards pointy ends to wrap carrots in the dough. Place wrapped carrots tail-end down about 1 inch apart on parchment-lined sheet pan.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes until dough is golden brown, rotating pan halfway through cooking. Serve warm with remaining sauce for dipping.
Makes 32 servings.
