Silky Smooth Carrot Puree

A simple smooth carrot purée that can serve as a base for your meal or as a colorful accompaniment. A few simple ingredients delivering great flavor with the sweetness from the carrots.

While vacationing in Charleston, SC we dined at a wonderful restaurant that served a carrot puree that was out of this world. I asked the waiter for the ingredients and they said it was basically made of carrots, cream, salt, and a finishing oil. Sounds simple enough, right? This was definitely something I had to recreate at home.

I replaced the cream with butter, which is just cream in a different form, but I always have some in the fridge.  I also eliminated the finishing oil because not everyone has it in their pantry.

The carrots are sliced very thin then cooked until they’re very tender. They’re transferred into a blender along with the liquid in the pan. To play it safe, only add enough of the liquid to get it blended. I'm usually left with about ¾ cup, but it can vary. You may have more or less liquid. If you need more liquid, add a little splash of water.

If you add too much of the cooking liquid and find it a little runny, simply place the puree back in the pan and cook over medium heat until some of the water evaporates. Once you can see the bottom of the pan when a spoon is scraped across, it’s done.

Spoon onto a serving plate alongside whatever it is you’re serving. The consistency is smooth, but still thick enough to be eaten with a fork. If you want to be fancy, scoop the carrot puree and spread with a spoon with a serving of meat, poultry, pork, or fish on top. Simple and delicious.

Try some of my other sides:

• Curry roasted cauliflower
• Grilled vegetables with feta and balsamic vinaigrette
• Cilantro lime rice
• Perfect mashed potatoes

Life is too short for mediocre food.

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Silky Smooth Carrot Puree

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A simple smooth carrot purée that can serve as a base for your meal or as a colorful accompaniment. A few simple ingredients delivering great flavor with the sweetness from the carrots.

Serves 4 - 6

Course: Side

Keyword: Carrot

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Author: Natalie Gregory

Ingredients

• 1 pound carrots peeled, ends removed
• ¾ cup water
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt or to taste
• 1 - 2 tablespoons lemon juice

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Instructions

• Thinly slice the carrots crosswise ¼ inch thick.
• In a medium saucepan, place carrots, water, butter, and salt. Cook over high heat just until it starts to boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and continue to cook until the carrots are tender and soft - about 20 minutes. Make sure to cover the carrots because we don’t want all the water to evaporate. Remember, there’s butter and salt in the water and that is flavor.
• Once the carrots are soft and tender enough that you can mash with a fork, transfer them to a blender with a slotted spoon. There should be at least ¾ cup of liquid left in the pan. Start with adding ½ cup of that to the blender along with 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice.
• Blend until smooth. If you need more liquid to get it going, add the remaining cooking liquid. Taste and season with salt. Add more lemon juice to your taste. You'll find a difference in acidity between bottled lemon juice and fresh lemon.
• Spoon onto serving plate alongside whatever it is you’re serving. The consistency is smooth, but still thick enough to be eaten with a fork. If you want to be fancy, scoop the carrot puree and spread with a spoon with a serving of meat, poultry, or fish on top.

Notes

If the carrot puree is too runny - simply place the puree back in the pan and cook over medium heat until some of the water evaporates. Once you can see the bottom of the pan when a spoon is scraped across, it’s done.

Did you make this recipe? Tag @thegeneticchef and use #thegeneticchef and tell me all about it!

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