Sweet and Sour Carrots

Sweet-and-Sour Glazed Carrots

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Sweet carrots and pearl onions glazed in butter, honey, and Champagne vinegar are a go-to side dish.

Ann Taylor Pittman

Published on April 25, 2024

Tested by

Jasmine Smith

Sweet-and-Sour Glazed Carrots — Photo:
Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless

Total Time:

30 mins

Servings:

Fantastically nutty browned butter with a splash of light and crisp Champagne vinegar combine to create an agrodolce-style glaze in this simple springtime mix of sweet carrots and pearl onions. When blanching the carrots, make sure to remove them from the water when they’re shy of crisp-tender as they’ll continue to cook in the skillet.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are pearl onions?

Pearl onions are small, round onions harvested when they are 1 inch or less in diameter. White pearl onions are the most common variety, available both fresh and pickled. Farmers leave these to dry slightly prior to shipping them for better storage.
What is Champagne vinegar?

Champagne vinegar is traditionally made from — you guessed it — Champagne (or sparkling wine if the starter wine is produced outside Champagne). Traditional grape varieties include Chardonnay, giving Champagne vinegar its signature mild flavor and light golden color. To make it, a starter wine is combined with a vinegar mother, like apple cider vinegar, and aged to ferment.
What is blanching?

Blanching is key to peeling the delicate skins from pearl onions, a simple method that saves much time and effort in the kitchen and one you’ll reach for time and again. Once blanched, trim off the root ends of the pearl onions and gently squeeze them between your thumb and index fingers to remove their skins. And that’s it. No mess, no fuss.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

“Overall, this dish is sweet and sour without being too bold,” says Food & Wine test cook Jasmine Smith. “The glaze is more subtle, complementing both the carrots and pearl onions. This is a recipe that makes a nice springtime side dish and could easily be doubled to serve more people.”

Make ahead

Carrots and onions can be blanched up to one day in advance and stored in an airtight container in refrigerator. Onions can be peeled before or after refrigerating.

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Ingredients

2 quarts water
1/4 cup plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
8 ounces fresh pearl onions (unpeeled) (about 2 cups)
1 pound small carrots, stems trimmed, peeled and halved lengthwise
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Directions

Bring 2 quarts water and 1/4 cup salt to a boil in a large pot over high. Prepare a large bowl of ice and water. Add onions to boiling water; cook until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Transfer onions to ice bath using a slotted spoon. Add carrots to boiling water; cook until almost crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain carrots, and add to ice bath. Let carrots and onions stand until cool, about 2 minutes. Drain and pat dry.
Trim off root ends of onions. Squeeze onions to remove from skins; discard skins. Set onions aside.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium; cook, whisking often, until butter is browned and smells nutty, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in honey, vinegar, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add carrots and onions, and increase heat to medium-high; cook, tossing often, until carrots are crisp-tender and sauce is thickened and glossy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and sprinkle with tarragon.

Originally appeared in Food & Wine magazine, April 2024