Carrot Ginger Creme Food

CARROT GINGER CREME

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir onion until translucent and tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in carrots, ginger, and vegetable broth, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until carrots are tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return to soup pot, add half and half, and heat until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

CARROT CREAM SOUP WITH GINGER

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low heat and cook onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in carrots and cook until softened, 3 minutes more. Pour in vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Season with ginger, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until vegetables are soft and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• Puree carrot soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Add heavy cream and heat through. Puree once more quickly with immersion blender, and season with salt and pepper.

CARROT CAKE WITH GINGER CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two 9-inch-round cake pans with cooking spray; line the bottoms with parchment paper. Spread the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Let cool, then finely chop.
• Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt onto a large piece of parchment (or into a medium bowl). Beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar and vegetable oil in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium high and add the eggs, one at a time; beat until light and smooth, about 2 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add the applesauce, orange zest and vanilla and beat until just smooth. Gradually add the flour mixture and beat until just combined. Add the carrots and 3/4 cup walnuts and beat until just combined.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 10 minutes in the pans, then remove to the rack to cool completely; remove the parchment. (The cake layers can be made a day ahead; let cool completely, then wrap in plastic wrap.)
• Make the frosting: Peel the ginger and grate onto a piece of cheesecloth. Wrap in the cheesecloth and squeeze the juice into a small bowl (you should get about 1 tablespoon). Add the orange juice and vanilla to the bowl. Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the juice mixture. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar. Increase the mixer speed to high and beat until smooth, about 2 more minutes.
• Place 1 cake layer on a platter, rounded-side down. Spread with 1 cup frosting, then top with the second cake layer, rounded-side down. Cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting. Press the remaining walnuts into the sides of the cake. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

CARROT SOUP WITH GINGER AND LEMON

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; sauté 1 minute. Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.
• Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Ladle into bowls. Top each with sour cream and grated carrot.

CARROT CUPCAKES WITH GINGER-CREAM CHEESE ICING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line twelve 1/3-cup muffin cups with paper liners. Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, oil and eggs in large bowl until well blended. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture in 2 additions, beating until well blended after each addition. Mix in carrots and pineapple. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each 3/4 full.
• Bake cupcakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto racks and cool completely. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.)
• Spread top of each cupcake with scant 3 tablespoons Ginger-Cream Cheese Icing. Garnish with candied violets, if desired.

CREAM OF CARROT SOUP WITH FRESH GINGER

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring stock to a boil.
• While stock is heating, chop all vegetables into small pieces (approximately 1/2-inch cubes).
• In a saute pan, over medium-high heat, melt half of the butter. Saute vegetables with ginger and nutmeg for approximately 15 minutes, or until vegetables are browned. Add remaining butter as needed.
• Add Sauteed vegetables to stock, reduce heat, cover with a lid, and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Let cool to room temperature and then puree in a blender. Soup should be thick and smooth. If you like your soup velvety smooth, pour through a fine mesh strainer.
• Add salt and pepper.
• To serve, reheat, ladle into bowls, then drizzle 1 tablespoon of cream into each bowl. Serve in warmed bowls.

CREAMY CARROT-GINGER SOUP

Steps:

• Sauté the carrots, onions, celery and ginger in the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat until vegetables have softened, about 10-12 minutes.
• Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
• Add the cream and again bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat, then let simmer for 5 minutes.
• Pour the soup into a blender or food processor and puree, then strain it back into the saucepan.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper.

CARROT-GINGER LAYER CAKE WITH ORANGE CREAM-CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter two 8-by-2-inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper and butter. Dust pans with flour and tap out any excess. Set aside. Spread pecans in a single layer on an ungreased baking pan and toast in oven until lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand until completely cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Finely chop pecans and set aside.
• Place carrots, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, sugar, and ginger in a large bowl; mix until well combined.
• Into a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the carrot mixture until combined. Fold in the butter and toasted pecans.
• Divide batter between the two cake pans and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Remove pans from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool, about 15 minutes. Turn cakes out onto rack; let stand until completely cool.
• Using a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes so surfaces are level. Place a layer on a cake stand or cardboard round and spread 3/4 cup frosting over top. Place the second cake layer on top and spread the remaining frosting over the top and sides of assembled cake. Transfer to refrigerator and chill 3 to 4 hours.
• For the candied carrot strips, set a wire rack over a baking pan. Using fingers, lift one candied carrot strip from the sugar syrup, holding it over the container. With the thumb and forefinger of your other hand, gently squeeze the carrot strip and slide your fingers along its length, removing as much excess syrup as possible; lay the carrot strip on the wire rack. Repeat with remaining carrot strips.
• Decorate cake with candied carrot strips as desired. Cut cake and serve.

CREAM OF CARROT SOUP WITH GINGER AND ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Melt butter in heavy-bottomed soup pot. Coarsely chop vegetables. Add onions, carrots and celery to butter in pot. Saute on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add potatoes, ginger, rosemary and parsley. Stir in stock. Cook, partially covered, until vegetables are tender (about 20 minutes). In batches, puree vegetables and stock in a blender and return to pot. Stir in cream, add salt and pepper to taste and reheat but do not boil.