Playing With Fire!

This is a quick and flavorful side dish. Good for weeknight dinners, and vegetarians.

*Flambé is an awesome cooking technique – it’s fun and beautiful. But, you must remember to move all flammable objects (like paper towels, wooden utensils, lose clothing/hair/the rest of you) as far back as possible, be alert, and act quickly.

Curried Caramelized Carrots

(Yield: 4 servings)

Ingredients:

4 medium carrots (about 2 c), peeled

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

1 shot cognac

1 tbsp honey

1 tsp water

1/2 tsp yellow curry powder

1/3 tsp Thai red curry paste

1/3 tsp garlic powder

1 scallion, chopped

Salt/black pepper

Thinly slice carrots on a diagonal. Heat oil and butter in a skillet on medium heat and add carrots. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and sauté for 5-6 min, until soft, stirring occasionally. Then flambé*: pour liquor into skillet, tilt skillet toward flame until skillet inflames. Place skillet down and step away from flame – it should extinguish within a few seconds. Cook for another 2 min until alcohol evaporates and add the honey, water, curries, garlic and a pinch of black pepper. Stir and sauté for another 2 min. Turn heat off. Re-season if necessary. Stir in scallion. Serve hot.