French Recipes for Carrots: Carottes à la crème
How about a colorful creamy side dish full of nutrients for dinner? From our “French recipes for carrots” collection, we are cooking braised carrots with cream (carottes à la crème). Carrots are one of the staple vegetables in the French diet. There are so many French recipes for carrots that can help you offer this healthy vegetable in a variety of appetizing ways. That pretty veggie can be seen on French tables as a meal starter (carottes râpées/grated carrots salad or in a potage de légumes /vegetable soup), as a side dish such as the one below, or in a heartwarming winter stew (boeuf aux carottes/braised beef with carrots). At Art of the Home, we fondly remember the classic family joke about the benefits of carrots (known to help with eyesight) because no matter how Maman would serve carrots, you were sure to hear it!
Papa: “Les carrottes, c’est bon pour la vue” (carrots are good for you eyesight)
Children: “Ah bon” (Oh really? )
Papa: “Ben oui, t’as déjà vu un lapin avec des lunettes?” (Well, yes, have you ever seen a rabbit with glasses?).
Great joke to motivate to children to eat their carrots with a smile and get the entire family their dose of pro-vitamin A (i.e beta-carotene) so good for the skin.
French Recipes for Carrots
Check our detailed braised carrots with cream recipe from our French recipes for carrots collection and Art of the Home suggestions below. Enjoy and bon appétit!!!
French Recipes for Carrots: Braised Carrots with Cream
Braised Carrots with Cream (Carottes à la crème)
INGREDIENTS (for 4-6 servings)
- About 12 carrots (count 2-3 carrots per serving, this is a rich dish so 2 may be enough)
- 1 cup of heavy cream
- 1 cup of whole milk
- 1 TBSP sugar
- 3 Pinches of salt & 1 pinch of pepper (less salt needed if you use salted butter)
DIRECTIONS
- Peel carrots and cut in small rounds.
- In a saucepan or cast iron pot (we use our flame 5 qt. oval Le Creuset French oven for that quantity), add the carrots, milk, and heavy cream. They’re should be enough liquid to barely cover the carrots but bot completely. Bring to a gently boil over medium heat.
- After about 5-10 min, add sugar and salt and pepper. Stir frequently to ensure the carrots don’t stick to the bottom.
- Simmer covered, stirring from time to time, under low to medium heat for about 30 minutes (or until carrots are tender). Heat should be high enough to maintain a gentle boil. Remove the lid for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
- Taste to check for proper seasoning. Add salt and/or pepper if needed.
- Sprinkle with parsley (optional) and serve hot.
A FEW SUGGESTIONS
- Make it ahead of time — This is a great dish to prepare ahead — freezes well too.
- Meat suggestions — This dish goes well with any meat but it is especially a good combination with chicken, pork roast, or lamb.
- Low calorie alternative: there are quite a few low calorie French recipes for carrots. A favorite is Art of the Home easy three steps braised carrots recipe. Enjoy!