I am happy to be the first to review Chef John's newest offering. I have made carrots in a similar fashion for years but never thought of adding bourbon. What an inspired idea! I used baby carrots, so rather than slicing them to rounds, I simply quartered or halved them and it worked well. My advice is to make these soon and consider having them the special occasion!
Tasty dish. A bit too sweet for most of us. Bourbon flavor was very nice and the seasoning was ok but missing something. Next time I think I will "steam" the veggies in the bourbon then add some butter the seasoning fresh parsley and garlic. I used baby carrots and left them whole as they were thin and petite. The recipe did make for well browned and caramelized carrots so if you like sweet veggies you may very well enjoy this recipe.
My oh my! Thank you Chef John. Served it to my husband and friends and there wasn't a carrot left over! Yes it's sweet (and the bourbon gives it such a wonderful flavor) but It is PERFECT with a simple steak or chicken and a side of cooked fresh spinach.
I liked it. I only put in a small amount of sugar and just added little by little. Actually as carrots are already a sweet vegetable it doesn't need much. The only other thing.....if I put alcohol in a dish I prefer to flambee it. The sauce tastes much better.
They are great but what isn't with all that butter. I do not use cayenne pepper or black pepper but I do use dried Basil. Like John said not a dish for everyday but once in awhile is really great.
The recipe is decent although there is either way too much bourbon or bourbon and carrots are not a good pairing. It isn't bad, just kind of strange. I made the carrots exactly as written and will try again though will also make some adjustments. Perhaps use another kind of alcohol or a vegetable broth or reduce the amount of bourbon.
I used two 12 oz bags of frozen crinkle cut carrot coins and the same amount of all other ingredients as listed in the recipe. I thawed carrots first then followed the rest of the directions. Sprinkled a touch (very light) of ground thyme instead of fresh was only other change. People went crazy last Thanksgiving and when invited this year asked if I would please make "The Carrots" again.
These were so good. I wish I could make them all the time but unfortunately they really have to be for a special occasion if you are watching calories. Delicious.
Another excellent Chef John recipe. I swear...save the leftover sauce in the bottom of the dish and serve it warm over ice cream!
