This is a delicious side dish to accompany any main course, its beautiful colours are a perfect way to bring brightness and freshes to the table. Heirloom carrots are seasonal throughout august till november, however the big orange (winter) carrots will do as well.
What is Tahini?
Tahini is a toasted sesame paste that is associated with asian cuisine. It is a delicious umami flavour that lends well with the sweetness of the carrots. You can find tahini in most grocery stores in the Oriental isle or in the organic section. This tahini sauce can also be used as a salad dressing, a veggie dipping sauce and much more! It is so versatile and perfect to have stored in the fridge for a quick dinner or snack.
Why the Pomegranate Seeds?
Back in culinary school, they taught us the importance of a balanced dish, not health wise but with flavours. The five tastes are bitter, salty, sour, sweet and umami. We were constantly challenged with having as many of the tastes on the plate as possible. The five flavours are present on this dish, which makes it such a delectable and appealing plate. The carrots are sweet, the tahini is salty, bitter and umami and the pomegranates are sour. Try and challenge yourself when building a dish to include as many tastes as possible.
Here's What You're Gonna Do
- Clean those carrots, using a vegetable peeler, peel the carrots.
- In a baking dish, coat the carrots with oil and bake.
- Combine vinaigrette ingredients
- Remove pomegranate seeds
- Plate carrots, top with vinaigrette and pomegranate seeds
Tahini, Pomegranate Heirloom Carrots
Equipment
- Large Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound Heirloom carrots
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/4 cup Tahini
- 1/4 cup Water
- 2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 °F
- Wash carrots and peel outer dry skin. Arrange on parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes until carrots are tender.
- Meanwhile, whisk the sauce ingredients.
- Remove pomegranate seeds from the flesh. Set aside.
- Once carrots are cooked, assemble on a platter and drizzle sauce over top carrots. Finish off with a sprinkle of the pomegranate seeds.