A Taproot Orange - Recap

The episode opens with Alton hunting rabbit. Sadly, Alton’s hasenpfeffer ambitions are thwarted by the rabbit’s disinterest in Alton’s choice of bait – a carrot. That’s too bad for the rabbit, because the carrot brings flavor and nutrition to the table. Why, a carrot rich diet might just have let that rabbit spot that owl in time to avoid disaster!

Carrots are cousins to dill, cumin, caraway, and other vegetables. They have been consumed since around the time of the pyramids, but until the Renaissance they were mostly regarded as medicine. Since then the carrot has climbed in popularity until today, only the potato surpasses it. But carrots weren’t always orange – back around the first century records show that black carrots were cultivated in Afghanistan. Over the centuries the vegetable appeared in almost every color except orange. That is, until the Dutch got involved. Careful hybridizing and extensive study resulted in the orange carrot most familiar to us today – a vegetable rich in an important nutrient, beta-carotene.

The best carrots, Alton tells us, have bright, firm greenery. Alton prefers carrots with the greens attached because they are a good gauge of freshness. Once home, that greenery must go before it draws moisture from the root. Alton prefers small size bubble wrap for storage. This keeps the vegetables moist without trapping too much water next to the flesh – a condition that shortens the fresh life.

Alton’s first carrot recipe is carrot salad, which exists in many variations. Proper carrot salad should be seasoned with a botanical relative – choose from cumin, caraway, curry powder or celery seed. These plants contain a key flavor compound called petroselinic acid so they complement each others’ flavors nicely. Once mixed, this will keep in the chill chest for as long as ten days. Alton prepares carrot “noodles” using a peeler. In a bowl he mixes mayo, kosher salt, sugar, some pineapple and raisins, curry powder, garlic, celery seed and caraway seed. When these are combined he adds the carrots and mixes the salad. This salad will keep for up to a week in the chill chest.

Remember that beta-carotene? Alton explains why it's so good for you. In the intestinal walls, this compound is turned into retinol, also known as Vitamin A and an essential nutrient. In conditions of low light the retina’s rod cells are most important. When light strikes these cells a chemical called rhodopsin breaks into two parts and this triggers a nerve impulse that the brain interprets as light. The body must have retinol to manufacture rhodopsin. Without it night vision is poor or nonexistent. If you want good night vision, eat carrots. There are animal sources of Vitamin A but some of these variations can be toxic. The body converts beta-carotene to retinol as it needs the chemical which means beta-carotene toxicity is never a problem. But Vitamin A in the form of retinols (as it occurs in animals) can be toxic. The liver of a polar bear contains enough to kill a human. Excessive consumption of beta-carotene can lead to yellowish skin color. The body stores the excess in the skin and fatty tissue. But even this isn’t harmful beyond the cosmetic effects.

Glazed carrots are a tasty, spicy vegetable side. They’re easy to make but also easy to mess up so Alton hands out some tips. He slices carrots to a uniform thickness so all of them cook to the same doneness, and he cuts them on the bias (a mandoline works well for this). He first braises the carrots with ginger ale and a little butter and salt. After the braising he adds some chili powder and raises the heat to finish them. Adding chili powder too soon will result in poor flavor. During the high heat finish Alton handles his carrots carefully, turning only occasionally, because they’re tender and can disintegrate if mistreated.

No meal would be complete without a dessert. Alton’s carrot-themed dessert is what one might expect: carrot cake. Carrot cake is a kind of muffin, so Alton prepares it using the muffin method. The dry team is flour, baking powder and baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and a pinch of kosher salt. When he finishes mixing these he tosses the dry ingredients with some grated carrots. Coating the carrots helps integrate them evenly into the batter. The wet team is sugar, brown sugar, yogurt, eggs and a little bit of oil combined in a food processor. When the wet team is combined Alton pours it over the dry team and stirs until it’s just combined. A few lumps are okay. Too much mixing will promote agglutination – the cross-linking of gluten – and the result will be a chewy cake, which is not good eats.

Alton starts the cake bakes at 350º for most of the baking time, then reduces the temperature to 325º for the remainder. After the cake cools Alton applies a cream cheese frosting. He makes that from cream cheese, a little butter, a little vanilla and sugar. He mixes cheese and butter first, adding the vanilla when they’re integrated. Then he adds the sugar slowly, in several batches, to keep the icing smooth and discourage the ejection of powdered sugar from the mixer. Alton recommends refrigerating this frosting for a little while before using it.

The versatile carrot produces salad, side dish, and dessert. And it keeps your eyes working well. It’s good for you and Good Eats!

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