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Glazed Carrots
Wash, scrape and cut into even slices; simmer until nearly tender in salted water; drain, put into a saucepan with 1 tablespoonful of butter, 1 teaspoonful of salt, 1 teaspoonful sugar, and have enough stock to cover. Boil uncovered until the stock is reduced to a glaze.
A straightforward glazing method that still works exactly as written; the only real variable is how much liquid you start with and how patiently you let it go.
- The hingeThe glaze forms only after nearly all the liquid has evaporated, so keep the pan uncovered and do not stir much until the last minute. When the bubbles turn thick and slow, swirl the pan constantly for the final thirty seconds so the syrup coats rather than scorches.
- QuantityNo amount of carrots is given. The seasonings suit about 1 lb (4 to 6 medium carrots), which serves four as a side.
- Two-stage cooking"Nearly tender" means still firm at the centre; with thin slices that is only a few minutes in the salted water. They finish cooking in the stock; carrots simmered fully soft first will collapse into the glaze.
- StockAny light stock works, but note that commercial broth is already salted. Taste before adding the full teaspoon of salt, or the reduction will end up sharply salty as the volume shrinks.
- Pan choiceUse a wide shallow pan rather than a deep saucepan. Surface area does the work here; a narrow pan takes considerably longer to reduce, by which time the slices are mush.
- SugarA single teaspoon is a seasoning, not a candy coating. It sharpens the carrots' own sweetness and helps the stock body up into something glossy.
- RescueIf the carrots are done before the stock has reduced, lift them out with a slotted spoon, boil the liquid down hard on its own, then return them to the pan and toss.
Glazing is a French technique, carottes glacées, in which vegetables are cooked in a small amount of stock, butter and sugar until the liquid reduces to a coating — the same principle as a pan sauce, applied to the vegetable itself. Carrots kept well through winter in a cellar without processing, and the recipe needs no meat, only whatever stock was already on the stove from bones.