Sweet Sous Vide Carrots

Requiring only a few steps of prep work, this side dish really delivers on flavor without being too over the top sweet.  By using the Sous Vide for cooking, the "carrot" flavor is really highlighted (in a good way).

We enjoyed these with a weeknight dinner but they would be great for special occasions and using the Sous Vide would cut down on stress when entertaining.

Sous Vide literally means "under vacuum" in French.  I have had my machine for a few months now and it takes a bit of adjusting to your normal cooking routine (you really have to plan things out to use it...no last minute dishes) but it really produces delicious foods with very little hassle.  If you want to learn more about Sous Vide cooking you can get some great information here.

Really the only active prep for this recipe is to peel and cut up your carrots.  Nice even bite sized pieces will do the trick.  After you get those steps out of the way then you just need to load up your bag with the carrots and other ingredients then suck the air out!  I use a FoodSaver but any similar machine would work.

For 8-12 large carrots I used:

1 Tbsp. of unsalted butter

1 Tbsp. of maple syrup

Pinch of ginger (1/8 - 1/4 tsp.)

Pinch of cinnamon (1/8 - 1/4 tsp.)

Pinch of smoked paprika (1/8 - 1/4 tsp.)

I just shake the items in the bag for a nice coating then seal.  The pat of butter stays intact and melts as the carrots cook.  Place the bag into the water bath which has been pre-heated to 185° F for a minimum of 45 minutes.  This time yields a nice crunchy carrot but the longer you cook the softer they become.  When you are ready to eat just cut open your sealed bag and serve.

Enjoy!