Marinated smoked carrot ribbons

November 23, 2020November 23, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 8 Comments

Bog off smoked salmon. This Christmas, why not try topping your cream cheese with my marinated smoked carrot ribbons? I mean, it’s not like we’ve got anything better to do than bake and peel carrots to top our breakfast bagels with, right? In fact, these delicate ribbons can be stuffed into sandwiches, stirred through scrambled eggs or strewn across smashed avocado on toast. I like mine draped over a bagel with lashings of cream cheese but each to their own.

Marinated smoked carrot ribbons
Hands on tine 15 mins / Total time 1 hr + 4-7 days marinating / V Vn* Df
250g carrots (3 medium or 2 large)
Marinade:
250ml boiling water
2 tbs light soy sauce
1 tbs maple syrup
1 tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic granules
1 tsp smoked salt
To serve (optional)
Bagels, capers, fresh dill and cream cheese

*Vegan: Swap the cream cheese for a vegan alternative or hummus.

Preheat an oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400F/gas mark 6. Wash and peel the carrots before placing them on a baking tray. Season with salt and bake whole for 45 mins.
Once baked leave to cool slightly before handling and put a kettle on to boil for the marinade. Make the marinade in a tupperware box with a lid, stir and put to one side. Using a peeler, peel the strips of carrot until you can peel no more – this can be a little tough to do at first but once the carrot starts to come away the ribbons become cleaner and smoother. Repeat this process with all of your carrots. Any larger chunks left over that you cannot peel, simply slice them as thinly as you can.
Submerge the carrots into the marinade and refrigerate for 4-7 days – the longer you leave them the softer the texture becomes. When ready to use, simply fish out your desired amount of carrot ribbons onto a couple of layers of kitchen roll and pat dry with another sheet of kitchen roll to soak up any excess liquid.
Once marinated, keep the carrots in their liquid refrigerated for up to a week.

Marinated smoked carrot ribbons

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V – Vegetarian. Vn* – Vegan: Replace cream cheese for vegan alternative Df – Dairy free

Carrot cake loaf: A slice of seasonless happiness

September 1, 2020September 1, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 4 Comments

Come rain or shine (and I think it’s fair to say we’ve had a lot of both recently) there is always a good time for carrot cake. Although bursting with vitamins, antioxidants and fibre we all know the healthiest thing about a carrot cake is its name and the minuscule amount of cardio that goes with grating carrots – which frankly is the worst part about making carrot cake. But there is a reason this sweet vegetable deserves its place in the cake hall of fame, and that’s because it’s utterly delicious and worth grating your finger nails for. So why not whip up this seasonless classic and enjoy slice after slice with numerous cups of tea, because that is how carrot cake should be gobbled up – by the wedge load. Although I’m pretty sure Bugs Bunny would have a few words to say about that and not all of them so savoury.

Carrot cake loaf
Make 1 loaf / Hands on time 35 mins / Total time 1 hr 45 mins / V
You’ll need: 2 lb loaf tin, electric hand whisk
Juice of 1 orange
45g sultanas
150g carrots, peeled and grated
150g soft brown sugar
80g self-raising flour
80g wholemeal flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
50g pecans, roughly chopped
Pinch of salt
150ml rapeseed oil
2 eggs
For the icing:
130g cream cheese
30g soft unsalted butter
65g icing sugar

Method
1. In a small saucepan, heat the juice of an orange over a low to medium heat and add the sultanas. Warm through for 10 minutes before putting to one side to cool.
2. Meanwhile, grease the base and sides of a loaf tin with a bit of extra rapeseed oil and line the bottom with baking paper. Put to one side and preheat an oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ 350°F/gas mark 4.
3. Peel and grate the carrot before weighing out the sugar, self-raising flour, wholemeal flour, cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the roughly chopped pecans and give it a good mix before incorporating in the grated carrots using a wooden spoon.
4. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the rapeseed oil and the eggs until combined. Pour into the carrot mixture and mix thoroughly. Spoon into the loaf tin and bake on the middle shelf for 1 hr or until a skewer comes out clean.
5. While the cake is baking, make the cream cheese icing by whisking the butter and the cream cheese together in a bowl with an electric whisk. Fold in the icing sugar with a spoon before whisking again for a couple of minutes. Cover loosely with cling film and refrigerate.
6. Allow the carrot cake to cool completely in the tin before turning out and topping with lashings of cream cheese icing.
7. To store, keep the cake refrigerated for up to 3 days in an airtight container or wrapped in cling film. Ideally, allow the cake to come up to room temperature before serving.

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

Carrot cake loaf

April 1, 2019January 21, 2020 ~ Corrie ~ 3 Comments

I’m going to keep this short but sweet – much like this carrot cake. Partly because it’s past my bedtime and partly because I’m grumpy after spending my entire Sunday burning multiple carrot cakes – would have helped if my oven wasn’t an old tin can with no temperature markings on it.

Carrot cake loaf
Make 1 loaf / Hands on time 35 mins / Total time 1 hr 45 mins / V ❄
You’ll need: 2 lb loaf tin, electric hand whisk
Juice of 1 orange
45g sultanas
150g carrots, peeled and grated
150g soft brown sugar
80g self-raising flour
80g wholemeal flour
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground mixed spice
1 tsp ground ginger
50g pecans, roughly chopped
Pinch of salt
150ml rapeseed oil
2 eggs
Cream cheese icing
130g cream cheese
30g soft unsalted butter
65g icing sugar

TIP: To store, keep the cake refrigerated for up to 3 days in an airtight container or wrapped in clingfilm. Allow the cake to come up to room temperature before serving.

Method
1. In a small saucepan, heat the juice of an orange over a low to medium heat and add the sultanas. Warm through for 10 minutes before putting to one side to cool.
2. Meanwhile, grease the base and sides of a loaf tin with a bit of extra rapeseed oil and line the bottom with baking paper. Put to one side and preheat an oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ 350°F/gas mark 4.
3. Peel and grate the carrot before weighing out the sugar, self-raising flour, wholemeal flour, cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the roughly chopped pecans and give it a good mix before incorporating in the grated carrots using a wooden spoon.
4. In a separate smaller bowl, whisk together the rapeseed oil and the eggs until combined. Pour into the carrot mixture and mix thoroughly. Spoon into the loaf tin and bake on the middle shelf for 1 hr or until a skewer comes out clean.
5. While the cake is baking, make the cream cheese icing by whisking the butter and the cream cheese together in a bowl with an electric whisk. Fold in the icing sugar with a spoon before whisking again for a couple of minutes. Cover loosely with clingfilm and refrigerate.
6. Allow the carrot cake to cool completely in the tin before turning out and topping with lashings of cream cheese icing. Delicious!

If you’ve had a go at making any of my recipes, I’d love to hear from you. Follow me now @corrieheale and tag your recipe pictures using #corriesrabbitfood.

V – Vegetarian
❄ – This cake is suitable for home freezing once cooled and before icing. Wrap well in cling film and freeze fore up to 3 months. Defrost fully before icing and serving.