Purée (or mash) is cooked food that has been ground, pressed, blended or sieved to the consistency of a creamy paste or liquid. It is usually made with vegetables, fruits (think baby food and apple sauce) or legumes. The term is of French origin from the 13th century, where it meant purified or refined.
What began if France as a way to make tough root vegetables easier to eat and digest, Purées have turned into vehicles for cooks throughout Europe to show their skills at intensifying flavors and textures of simple foods.
This recipe is an adaptation of an adaptation of a recipe first sighted not in France but Los Angeles. In the 1986 uniquely titled cookbook by Austrian-born chef Wolfgang Puck, “The Wolfgang Puck Cookbook,” there is a recipe for long-cooked sliced carrots in butter that were then pureed in a food processor with cream and crème fraiche. This is my Hungry Traveler’s take on that recipe.
French Carrot Puree
Equipment
- Food processor
- Large skillet with cover
Ingredients
- 1 lb Carrots, peeled and sliced ½ inch disks
- 4 tbsp Unsalted butter
- Kosher salt and white pepper
- ½ cup Heavy cream
- ¼ cup Sour Cream
Instructions
- Put butter in large pan, add carrots, cover, and cook over very low heat for at least 1½ hours. Stir occasionally.
- Pour softened carrots and butter into a food processor. Process until smooth. Add cream and keep processing until very smooth. Add sour cream, salt, and white pepper to taste. Process one last time until the sour cream is fully incorporated. Transfer to a bowl and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Add to a plate or separate serving bowl.
Notes
- The key to the success for this dish is for the carrots to cook covered over low heat until they become almost mushy.
