Recipe

December 10, 2024

Ask A Chef: Beth Rogers and Thayne Robstad Share Hearth Restaurant’s Carrot Recipe

Recipe: Beth Rogers and Thayne Robstad

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Q: Saskatoon’s Hearth Restaurant is one of my favorites, and the Carrots dish is the best — I didn’t know carrots could be that delicious. Can you get the recipe? — ROBIN, Saskatoon

A: Chefs and co-owners Beth and Thayne (pictured) have put carrots centre stage. “We cook the carrots the same way we cook meat,” says Beth. This involves giving them the sous vide treatment, then bathing them in a honey and bay leaf–infused glaze for a sweet, floral flavor. Served on a bed of green spätzle and cauliflower purée for color and earthiness, the carrots are finished with a garnish of goat cheese and crispy chickpeas.

Ingredients

Bay Salt (batch)

  • 1 cup salt
  • 2 large bay leaves

Carrot Glaze

  • 3 tbsp + 2 tsp honey
  • 2 tsp malt vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp Bay Salt (see above)

Cauliflower Purée

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1/2 head cauliflower, cut into 2″ pieces
  • 1 small peeled russet potato, cut into 2″ pieces
  • Lemon juice, to taste
  • Salt, to taste

Green Spätzle

  • 3 big handfuls spinach, wilted and blended
  • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup sour cream

Carrots

  • 8–10 large carrots, peeled
  • 2 tsp Bay Salt (see above)
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 1/2 cup crispy chickpeas, 1 cup chèvre, 1/4 cup olive or herb oil, to garnish

Directions

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

Make Bay Salt

  1. In blender, blend salt and bay leaves together. Store in airtight container in cupboard for up to 1 month.

Make Carrot Glaze

  1. In saucepan over medium-low heat, add all ingredients and stir, until combined. Remove from heat and set aside.

Make Cauliflower Purée

  1. In pan, melt butter over low heat. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
  2. In pot or steamer, steam cauliflower and potato together for 20 minutes, until cooked through.
  3. In shallow metal baking dish, add steamed cauliflower and potato with 1/2 cup of water and place in smoker for 20 minutes.
  4. In blender, combine onions with smoked cauliflower and potato mixture, and blend until smooth and glossy, about 2 minutes.
  5. Season with lemon juice and salt, to taste, and set aside.

Make spätzle

  1. To bowl of electric mixer with paddle attachment add all ingredients and mix for 4 minutes, until it resembles thick batter. Set aside for 60 minutes before cooking.
  2. Over medium-high heat, bring 5-litre pot of salted water to a simmer.
  3. Place 1/4 cup scoop of batter into ricer, pushing batter directly through into simmering pot of water.
  4. Let spätzle cook until they float, then scoop onto lightly oiled sheet pan.
  5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all batter is cooked. Toss spätzle in 1 tbsp of oil to prevent sticking and set aside.

Make Carrots

  1. Sprinkle peeled carrots with Bay Salt.
  2. Sous vide carrots at 84°C for 1 to 2 hours, until carrots yield when pressed. Set aside and cool.

Finish Serve

  1. To sauté pan add butter over medium-high heat. Add spätzle to pan and fry for 4 minutes, until crispy and nicely browned. Take care not to fuss too much, otherwise it will stick.
  2. Set barbecue to medium-high heat or, if using oven, set to broil. Use half of glaze to coat carrots, then grill or broil carrots directly on oven rack for 5 minutes, rotating every minute or so, until lightly charred on exterior and warm in middle. Slice carrots into 1/2″ rounds. Top charred carrots with remaining glaze.
  3. In small saucepan over low heat, warm cauliflower purée.
  4. To serve, spread cauliflower purée on plate and top with carrots. Sprinkle spätzle artfully around carrots. Garnish with crispy chickpeas, chèvre and herb or olive oil.

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