Butter-Poached Carrots

It doesn’t seem that butter, water and salt should result in carrots that taste this supremely of carrots, but the magic is evident in the incredible distilled carrot flavor, thanks to a little technique. In the 5 minutes it takes for the water to come to a simmer in a closed pot, the water gains the sweet, root-vegetable flavor of the carrots while also emulsifying with the butter into a glossy sauce. These are buttered carrots, but poached in their own glossy orange liqueur, making them the carrotiest carrots you’ll ever taste. This recipe comes from the French chef Raymond Blanc, by way of the food writer Bee Wilson, as featured in her 2023 cookbook “The Secret of Cooking.” Her promise is simple but life-changing: “On lifting the lid, you will see that the butter and water have formed a silky emulsion and, because of the quick cooking time, the carrots retain their orange color and sweet flavor in their buttery bath.” Because this universal side dish is so quick to cook, Ms. Wilson likes to have a pot of it ready up until just the last moment before serving. —Eric Kim