Pennies From Heaven

By Patlynn

Pennies from Heaven is a Depression era dish of orange-flavored, glazed carrots with apricots and cinnamon designed to look like newly minted pennies. It sounds promising but most recipes gave us washed out flavors, chewy bits of apricots, and sticky-sweet glazes. We found that simmering the carrots in orange juice infused them with orange flavor throughout. We then added the apricots to the simmering liquid for two reasons: They plumped in the orange juice as the carrots cooked, and they lent the final glaze a pleasant apricot flavor. Finally, we added just enough sugar to glaze the carrots but not enough to make them overly sweet.

Ingredients

• 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest plus 1/2 cup juice
• 1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Preparation

Step 1

1. Bring carrots, orange zest and juice, apricots, lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and cinnamon to boil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots are nearly tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Remove lid, increase heat to medium-high, and cook until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons, 1 to 2 minutes. Add sugar and butter and cook, stirring frequently, until carrots are tender and glaze is thick and glossy, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.


Simmering Liquid and Glaze Base


Citrus Punch

Simmering the carrots in orange juice infuses them with flavor. At the end, we add butter and sugar and reduce the juice to a glossy glaze. We use zest to add flavor, too.