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Fennel and Carrot Purée

July 11, 2016 By Rachel 8 Comments

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Fennel and Carrot Purée – Not sure how to incorporate fennel into your kitchen? This rich, creamy purée is about to change all that!

Fennel and Carrot Purée - Not sure how to incorporate fennel into your kitchen? This RICH, CREAMY, vegetable purée is about to change all that... It's like dipping sauce for food snobs! :) | SimpleSeasonal.com

I mentioned a couple of posts ago that I’m a dipper. Instead of a dip today, however, I have a purée. A purée is basically like a dipping sauce for food snobs, though…  Think vegetables that have been cooked in herbs until they’re sweet and tender, and puréed until smooth with heavy cream or crème fraîche (or in this case, both)! The result is rich, yet fresh, adding complexity and general deliciousness to whatever you dip in it.

Fennel and Carrot Purée - Not sure how to incorporate fennel into your kitchen? This RICH, CREAMY, vegetable purée is about to change all that... It's like dipping sauce for food snobs! :) | SimpleSeasonal.com

Now, I understand that this dish has fennel in it, and, well… Fennel is one of those strange and unusual vegetables that doesn’t regularly find its way into the average kitchen. When I was newly married and first embarked on my adventure to be master of my kitchen, all I knew was that fennel was used for making black licorice… Yuk! I have since learned that, when not the sole ingredient, it actually has a lot to add to a dish. When cooked, it takes on a mild herbal quality and adds another layer of flavor to a dish that doesn’t suggest black licorice in the least. So I encourage you to give fennel a second chance – outside the licorice category, that is…

Cooking Fennel, Carrots, Onion and Thyme

Even if you’re not a food snob, but you are a dipper, I think you’ll find this Fennel and Carrot Purée pretty fabulous. It’s creamy and tart and perfect for serving with scallops or white fish. If you’re the beefy type, omit the lemon and unashamedly smother your steak or lamb in this stuff. Sure, this purée isn’t particularly low in fat, but with all the carrots and fennel that go into it, you’ll be getting a generous dose of vitamins A and C. Let’s just say it’s a heck of a lot better for you than tartar or steak sauce, and I would argue a heck of a lot tastier!

Stirring in Creme Fraishe and Lemon

Fennel and Carrot Purée - Not sure how to incorporate fennel into your kitchen? This RICH, CREAMY, vegetable purée is about to change all that... It's like dipping sauce for food snobs! :) | SimpleSeasonal.com

Fennel and Carrot Puree
 
Print
Prep time
15 mins
Cook time
45 mins
Total time
1 hour
 
Not sure how to incorporate fennel into your kitchen? This rich, creamy purée is about to change all that!
Author: Rachel Hanawalt
Recipe type: Sides
Cuisine: French
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 3 C chopped carrots
  • 1½ C chopped fennel bulb
  • ½ C diced yellow onion
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 C low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
  • ½ C crème fraîche
  • ¼ C heavy cream
  • zest of 1 lemon plus 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • ½ tsp salt
  • pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Combine the carrots, fennel, yellow onion, thyme and olive oil in a pan and cook over medium heat until the carrots are tender (about 30 minutes). Next, season with salt and pepper and remove the thyme sprigs. Add 3 C of chicken broth to the pan and cook down by three fourths over medium-high heat (about 10 minutes). The vegetables are done cooking once the carrots fall apart when squished with a fork.
  2. Ladle the contents of the pan into a medium-sized sauce pan. Purée with a hand blender until smooth and then reheat. Remove from the heat and blend in the crème fraîche, heavy cream, and lemon. Heat on low prior to serving, taking care to not let the purée start to bubble so that the dairy doesn't curdle.
3.5.3208

Fennel and Carrot Purée - Not sure how to incorporate fennel into your kitchen? This RICH, CREAMY, vegetable purée is about to change all that... It's like dipping sauce for food snobs! :) | SimpleSeasonal.com

Fennel and Carrot Puree Nutrition Facts

If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also enjoy…
Celeriac and Fennel Soupcoconut-carrot-soupBeef Roulade with Celeriac Puree

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Filed Under: Carrots, Fennel, Gluten-Free, Healthy, Recipes, Sides, Summer, Vegetarian Tagged With: Carrot, creme fraiche, dipping sauce, fennel, French, Puree, side, thyme, Vegetarian

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Comments

  1. Michelle | A Dish of Daily Life says

    July 15, 2016 at 4:06 pm

    I’m a dipper too. And I like fennel. But my family doesn’t. This might be another way to try to incorporate it. I’m constantly making hummus like dips…this is definitely up my alley!

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      August 10, 2016 at 5:28 pm

      You could always make this and not tell them that their eating fennel until after dinner. That often works on my family!

      Reply
  2. Kim - Liv Life says

    July 15, 2016 at 10:23 pm

    I think I could dip all night with this combo! Then I could simply call it dinner 🙂

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      August 10, 2016 at 5:27 pm

      Yeah… when I was photographing this I kept sneaking spoonfuls… 😉

      Reply
  3. adina says

    July 16, 2016 at 5:36 am

    Fennel is one of those strange veggies for me as well, I don’t buy it often but I am definitely trying to get to like it more… 🙂 This puree looks absolutely amazing, I think I might give it and the fennel a try! 🙂

    Reply
    • Rachel says

      August 10, 2016 at 5:26 pm

      This recipe is a good place to start if you’re unsure about fennel. I promise it doesn’t taste a bit like licorice!

      Reply
  4. Sharon says

    January 8, 2022 at 9:37 am

    I can’t have dairy…can coconut milk be substituted?

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Fennel and Carrot Puree - Yum Goggle says:
    July 24, 2016 at 10:09 am

    […] GET THE RECIPE […]

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Hi, I'm Rachel! Welcome to Simple Seasonal, a resource for simple, healthful, and delicious recipes that help you make the most of seasonal produce from your local farmer's market, CSA, or home garden. Simple Seasonal is committed to a whole foods diet. With an occasional cookie... ;)


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