Maple Sugar-glazed Baby Carrots

In both of my cookbooks, the idiom, "gilding the lily", appears at the end of every recipe. It's my riff on an old phrasal verb traceable back to Shakespeare's time, which essentially means to further enhance something that's already beautiful. For my purposes, I adapted the expression to refer to a particular aspect of the recipe that is responsible for making the delectable dish exceptional. The addition of maple sugar as the glazing agent in this recipe is a prime example of my use of the phrase. It simply takes this already wonderful side dish and makes it extraordinary.

Maple sugar isn't flavorless like granulated sugar but it is twice as sweet; it has a prevalent maple flavor, and a texture similar to brown sugar, but lighter. It dissolves quickly and can be used in baked goods with a few ingredient adjustments—but, I wouldn't recommend baking with it as maple sugar is expensive (on average, $10/lb.). Instead, incorporate it by the tablespoon rather than the cup as in recipes like this one. Then, you can enjoy a unique treat without breaking the bank! (This is the brand I use)

Image: Maple Sugar-glazed Baby Carrots, Lisa Careau

1 T. olive oil

1/2 T. salted butter

1 lb. fresh baby carrots

2 T. (heaping) maple sugar

1/2 t. dried parsley and chive

kosher salt and pepper, season to taste, generously (salt and sugar play well with each other)

In a large sauté pan, heat the butter and olive oil together. Add the carrots to coat, and cook on med/low heat until fork-tender (about 40 mins.), mixing often to avoid browning.

Add the spices, then sprinkle the maple sugar over the carrots, combining for several seconds to allow the sugar crystals to dissolve and caramelize into a rich sauce. Remove from heat to prevent burning the sauce as it will rapidly continue cooking. This dish pairs with almost any meat, but particularly with ham, pork, or chicken.