Turnips in maple cream sauce
Instructions:
- 1 pound small turnips, peeled and cut into 1⁄4-inch slices;
- 3 tablespoons real maple syrup, preferably Grade B;
- 1 tablespoon wholegrain Dijon mustard;
- 3 tablespoons crème fraîche;
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste;
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme;
- 1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted.
- Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt per cup of water. Add the turnips and cook until just tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain and return to the pot.
- Stir in the maple syrup, mustard, and creme fraiche and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the sauce reduces and coats the turnips, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the thyme and pecans, and serve warm.
- Tips and Techniques. Toasting enhances and refreshes the flavor of nuts, particularly when they have been stored in the freezer and their flavorful oils have gone dormant. The easiest way to toast nuts is to spread them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Place in a preheated 350 F oven until you can just begin to smell the nuts. Do not let them darken more than one shade. Immediately pour the nuts onto a very lightly dampened tea towel or a few layers of dampened paper towels. Even when removed from the oven, the nuts will continue to cook for about a minute because of the very hot oil inside them, so they must come off the hot pan at once or risk burning. Any bits of shell or dust will stick to the damp towel. Toasting time depends on the size, type, and freshness of the nuts. Chopped nuts and pale nuts (such as pine nuts and blanched almonds) take about 5 minutes. Whole nuts, halves, and dark nuts (cashews, pecans, walnuts, whole almonds, and hazelnuts) take about 10 minutes. Keep a close watch because they can go from perfect to burned in seconds. Burned nuts are ruined. Pitch them out to the squirrels, accept the situation, and start over.