Two Gifts

One of the best things I've discovered about blogging is the interaction with other food bloggers near and far.

Last Hallowe'en, I tried some heirloom carrots just because they seemed so seasonal, going with the black and orange theme of the holiday. The flavor was okay but, well, kinda meh. However, my blog friend Peter, who writes a truly gourmet blog from New York state and comments on mine from time to time, suggested that I try them again in the spring when the carrots are new, saying that he thought the ones I tried had perhaps been stored too long.

Then, this week, My Beloved and I enjoyed a Mexican lunch with local bloggers Cookiecrumb, who writes the delightful "I'm Mad and I Eat," and Cranky, who pens the wonderful "Pluto Demoted," and after lunch they presented us with a boatload of fresh, ripe oranges from their backyard grove. a truly wonderful gift.

So, when I found the spring-harvested heirloom carrots with vigorous, bright tops that testified to their freshness on the same day as we got the orange windfall, it seemed like a synergy we couldn't ignore.

This time, I butter steamed the sliced carrots for about 5 minutes, then added a large orange worth of juice and zest to the pan along with a big pinch of Herbes de Provence and continued cooking until the juice and butter were nothing but a glaze to hold the herbs on the still-crunchy carrots. I'll post a picture of the finished carrots tomorrow when I talk about the orange-flavored chicken I put alongside them - all in all, a spectacular taste-treat of a vegetable, thanks to my blogging pals hither, thither and yon!