Salt crust carrots & smoked beurre blanc dish!

We’re going to make a delicious carrot, orange & smoked beurre blanc dish. First we’re going to cook the carrots in a carrot peel salt crust. The trimmings we then use to make some beautiful carrot leaves. We’re also going to make an orange peel cream, a dill oil and we’re going to smoke our own butter and turn it into a wonderful beurre blanc.

The salted crust baked carrots

8	big carrots
60 grams	egg white
200 grams	coarse salt
+/- 100 grams	flour
5	lime leaves

Start by peeling the carrots. Keep the peels and trimmings for later. Then cut off the sides. Now transfer 400 grams of the peels and trimmings into a blender and blend it for one minute. Then add the egg white and blend it for another minute. After, add the coarse salt and blend it once more. Then add enough flour to bind everything together into a firm dough. I added around 100 grams. Once that’s done flour your worktop and roll out the dough till it’s around 4 to 5 millimeters thick. Then roll the dough on a rolling pin and transfer it on a tray that’s lined with a silicon sheet. Lay all the carrots on top of the dough and then place the lime leaves on top. Now close it up as tight as possible and bake it at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour. The carrot isn’t going to be fully cooked leaving you with a very nice textuer. Once it’s cooked let it cool down for 5 minutes and then directly remove the dough. If you leave it to long the carrots will become to salty. Now let them cool down in your fridge. After, slice 2/3 of the carrots in small cubes, also known as brunoise. Then keep it dry and covered in your fridge for later.

Then take the remaining baked carrots and cut them in thin slices. Cut those slices with a small round cutter and keep the trimmings for next time to for example make the carrot leaves. Now transfer the rounds on a metal tray and toast the top to add a nice smoked flavor. Then brush some olive oil on top and keep it covered in your fridge for later.

The carrot leaves

200 grams	cooked carrot
100 grams	orange juice
100 grams	isomalt sugar
80 grams	icing sugar
20 grams	glucose

First mix the cooked carrots with the orange juice, the isomalt sugar, the icing sugar and the glucose. Now blend this till completely smooth. Then transfer it into a bowl and let it cool down in your fridge. Once cold spread it on a leaf stencil. This one is from Mold Brothers. Make sure it’s evenly spread and then gently remove the stencil. Now bake it at 120 degrees Celsius for 1 hour. After the hour gently remove the leaves from the sheet and when still hot shape them between a leaf press. Click here for the press. Now keep them dry and covered for later.

The smoked butter

First turn on your smoker or your barbeque. It goes without saying that my ventilation system is on point, otherwise I would suggest doing the barbequing outside. Then cut 250 grams of butter in smaller cubes and transfer them into a metal container. Place it on another container that’s filled with ice cubes. Now add some smoke chips and let the butter smoke on a low heat for around 1 hour. Once it’s melted remove the butter from the heat. Mix it well and then let it set in your fridge.

The carrot and dill oil

20 grams	carrot leaves
15 grams	picked dill leaves
150 grams	sunflower oil

First separate the leaves from the carrots. Pick enough carrot leaves for 20 grams of leaves. Then also add the picked dill. Now transfer both herbs into a blender and also add the neutral oil. I use sunflower oil. Blend it till the oil is at 65 degrees Celsius, it will heat up from the friction. After that pass it through a fine sieve that’s lined with a kitchen paper to clarify it. Let it drain in your fridge.

The orange peel cream

8	oranges
100 grams	orange juice
20 grams	sugar
3 grams	salt
2.5 grams	agar powder

First peel the oranges for 100 grams of peels. Only peel the skin and not the white part. Now blanch the peels 4 times. Every time you need to take new water. This will remove the bitter flavor. Once that’s done transfer the peels into a blender and also add the orange juice, the sugar and the salt. Now blend this till smooth and then pour it into a saucepan. Also add the agar powder and while stirring bring it to a boil for 1 minute. Then pour it into a bowl and let it cool down in your fridge. Once it’s set transfer it into a blender and blend it into a delicious and smooth cream. Now transfer it into a piping bottle and keep it in your fridge for later.

The smoked beurre blanc

4	onions
800 grams	white wine
20	black pepper grains
4 sprigs	thyme
1/2	orange
15	coriander seeds
100 grams	white wine vinegar
3	cleaned cloves of garlic

First the castric. Clean the onions and cut them really fine. Then transfer the onions into a saucepan and also add the white wine, the black pepper grains, the sprigs of thyme, the peel from half an orange, the coriander seeds, the white wine vinegar and the cleaned cloves of garlic that are cut in half. Mix it and then let the liquid reduce for 80%. Once it’s reduced drain the castric through a fine sieve and use a ladle to press out any castric, so you don’t waste a single drop.

100 grams	castric
20 grams	cream
5 grams	salt
200 grams	smoked butter (that we just made)

Pour the castric into a saucepan together with the cream and the salt. Bring this to a boil. Then turn off the heat and while stirring add the smoked butter we just made. Add it piece by piece and continue stirring till you have a rich and delicious sauce. Taste for seasoning.

How to finish the carrot

First cut some chives fine. Use it to season the carrot brunoise together with the orange peel cream, some olive oil and a couple drops of Worcester sauce. Mix this. Then take a small carrot and peel it all around. After peel it in thin slices and let those slices firm up in some ice water. Then we can start to finish the dish. First plate the tartare between two round cutters. Press it down and then gently remove the cutters. Now cover the top with the toasted carrots and pipe some of the orange peel cream on there. Lay 3 carrot slices on there and place two crispy carrot leaves in the middle. Then decorate it with some winter purslane and the dill and carrot leaf oil. And finally finish it off with the delicious hot beurre blanc. Gently heat it up and if it splits just emulsify it with a hand blender.