Carrot Casserole

The tastiest carrot casserole comes from bright, juicy carrots. Often the root vegetables on sale show obvious signs of greens and smell of tops, and those are not suitable. In early summer there are plenty of young vegetables, which is the best option. In winter you can always find good vegetables with no sign of woodiness or greens. At home we often make carrot juice, so we are used to choosing juicy vegetables for every dish.

Peel the carrots, carefully removing any damage and dark spots. It is better to cut off the very top of the root, where the greens grew. Grate the peeled carrots on a fine grater. Alternatively, you can boil the carrots until soft first, but with a fine grater you can skip this. Melt a small piece of butter in a frying pan and, stirring constantly, fry the grated carrots in it for 2-3 mins. Add 1 tsp of sugar (5 g) and 0.5 cup of water (100 ml). Stew the vegetables, covered, for 10 mins, then cool to room temperature.

Transfer the vegetable mixture to a bowl. It is important that it cools down, otherwise the eggs will curdle. Add 1 cup of milk (200 ml) and two chicken eggs. If you like, add vanilla, but it will change the taste of the dish a lot. Mix the carrots with the eggs and milk. Notably, the milk turns a pleasant orange color.

Next, add wheat flour to the mixture. It is hard to say how much you will need. To start, add one heaped tablespoon and 1-2 pinches of baking powder. You do not need much, the carrot casserole will just be a little fluffier. Mix all the ingredients well with a fork or whisk. The consistency should resemble thick honey. If needed, add flour in small portions.

Grease the baking mold well with butter, so the finished casserole comes out of the mold cleanly, even without help. A soft silicone mold works best for this. It is quite flexible, so we put it on a flat plate or in a larger rigid mold, such as a pizza pan. Pour the prepared mixture into the greased mold.

Preheat the oven to 180°C and put the mold with the mixture in it to bake. Baking usually takes 30-45 mins; go by the surface no longer “jiggling”. To be sure, you can use a toothpick: when you pierce the casserole, no liquid should stick to it. Take the mold out of the oven. Flip the casserole onto a platter or board, the way it is done for tarte Tatin – the French apple pie.

When you flip the finished dish, the baked bottom that touched the walls of the mold ends up on top. Once the casserole cools a little, you can cut it like a cake, into wedges. It does not crumple when cut. Transfer the pieces to dessert plates, sprinkle with powdered sugar and add walnut kernels. If you like, drizzle with honey and add a sprig of mint. Be creative.