Charles Baudendistle is the chef at The Admiral. He’s pictured at the center along with the staff from The Admiral and farmer Evan Chender of The Culinary Gardener.
Kitchen life is very stressful, but nothing compared to farming! If one thing goes wrong, hours and days of effort is foiled. Dealing with all the elements is a true noble task. It’s truly remarkable the hard work and sacrifice that goes into it. After visiting The Culinary Gardner’s farm, I learned a greater appreciation for what our farmers provide. I always look forward to Evan’s carrots and green garlic. The quality of both is second to none. I think sourcing locally is the most important thing for a chef to do. We take pride in supporting our local farmers in our community. This allows to provide the highest quality ingredients to our guests.
I’ve always enjoyed carrots even as a child. My grandmother would cook them perfectly. She always added a little maple syrup or honey and butter. I started thinking about this dish in August. As a chef you move pretty quickly into the next season, in your mind at least. I thought about ingredients that inspire the feeling of a brisk fall day. My favorite season to cook in is autumn. This combination of the carrots, white chocolate, and coffee create the perfect fall side dish.
Ingredients
For the celery root:
- 1 medium head celery root
- 4 ounces butter
- 4 ounces white chocolate
For the carrots:
- 2 tablespoons fine ground coffee
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 pound carrots, peeled
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
Directions
- Peel celery root completely add to a pot with the melted butter. Cook on low for 5 minutes. Cover celery root with 2 1/2 cups water and put the temperature on medium. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Most of the water should be gone. You’ll need a little bit to make puree smooth. Transfer to blender, add white chocolate, and blend until smooth.
- Mix together first seven ingredients for the carrot coffee rub and set aside.
- Cut carrots cut in half then slice into half-inch pieces. In a pot of boiling water, blanch carrots for 5 minutes, then drain. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a sauté pan. Cook carrots on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Add coffee rub and 1 tablespoon of butter and remove from heat.
- Place celery root puree on the plate as a base, then add carrots on top.