Carrot "Cakes" With Parsley Sauce

I’m not really sure how to describe these timbales. They are somewhere between custard and quiche, yet wholly unlike anything I’ve ever tasted. The recipe comes from the October 1992 issue of Gourmet (see, I’m making progress through the stack) from a feature on Lyons.

This was a relatively simple thing to prepare (relative to, I don’t know…goose confit?) and quick, provided you do the preparation of the carrots, onions and shallots ahead. I had my sous chef Danny helping out in the kitchen, so it went a bit slower but still just about an hour start to finish.

I paired the carrot “cakes” with an herbed tomato salad, the sunflower bread and apricot butter (unsulphered dried apricots diced and mixed into unsalted butter and permitted to soften for a couple days). The original recipe called for scallops to be served along with it, and I will provide the directions in the event you wish to make a more complete meal of it. The parsley sauce with the carrots is a lovely combination without the addition of seafood.

You Will Need:

For the carrot “cakes”:

1 ½ tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound carrots sliced very thin into rounds (about 1mm). A food processor would be helpful.
1 cup water
½ cup heavy cream
3 large eggs

For the parsley sauce:

1 ½ tablespoons shallots
1 garlic clove, minced and mashed (if you don’t have a mortar and pestle a drink muddler will do the trick)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
32 small sea scallops (about 1 lb)
½ cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons minced, fresh parsley leaves (I used the flat Italian variety)
Lemon juice to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


In a large skillet (actually, I used a large enamelled pot) cook the shallots in butter over moderate heat until soft. Add carrots and stir for one minute. Add the water, bring to a simmer and cover. Cook about 10 minutes or until the carrots are very tender. Drain.

Butter 4 ½ cup ramekins very well. Line the bottom with carrot slices, slightly overlapping as you go. Take the remaining carrots, cream and eggs and put through the food processor until very smooth. Pour into ramekins. Set in a pan with water that comes halfway up the cups and bake 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

While the cakes cook, prepare the sauce and scallops.

In a 9 inch skillet, cook the shallots in butter with the garlic over low moderate heat until soft. Arrange the scallops in one layer over the shallot mixture, add the wine, and simmer, covered for 3-4 minutes until they are just cooked through. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a bowl and keep warm. Boil the cooking liquid until it is reduced almost completely and then add the cream. Boil the mixture, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened. Add the parsley and lemon juice. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Run a thin knife around the ramekins and unmold on plates. Arrange 8 scallops around the cake and spoon the sauce over them. Serves 4.