Saturday, January 17, 2009

Glazed baby turnips

Everyone knows that turnips are white, but did you know that they also come in yellow? I didn't until I picked up a bunch of gold baby turnips at the farmer's market. The man selling them told me that this variety is sweeter than white turnips.
I decided to do a really simple preparation with these turnips to let their natural flavor shine. I started by throwing the halved turnips into a pan with about a tablespoon of melted butter. I added a pinch of sugar, some salt and pepper and a splash of water. I cooked at a medium simmer until the turnips were tender, adding more water when the intial amount was absorbed. Once the turnips were tender, I turned the heat up to high and boiled the liquid off. I let the turnips caramelize in the resulting glaze for a few minutes, then added some minced parsley and a sprinkling of fleur de sel.

The turnips were as sweet as promised, and the fleur de sel added a pleasant crunch and hit of salt. I'll be keeping an eye out for these guys the next time I'm at the farmer's market.

45 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love Farmer's Markets! The Spankopita's were delicious! I'd never had them before and I promised my husband I would buy them again. Enjoy your Saturday!! :)

Dewi said...

Glazed baby turnips! just give me the best idea side dish for my guess to night.
Cheers,
Elra

pigpigscorner said...

I love farmer's mkts! There's so much to see and learn! I've never had baby turnips but they look and sound delicious!

Chef E said...

Yum, I love turnips...we ate them so much as a kid, I thought I was one...but kids taste buds change so often I began to like all the fresh stuff like this...although liver will never be liked!

Unknown said...

ooh, i tried them awhile back, a honey-glazed version quite similar to yours... don't know if i was sold though :)

if you try the eggplant dish, let me know how you like it!! have a great weekend sara!

NKP said...

I really don't cook with turnips often enough, I should buy them more often.
Fall veggies get pretty big here in Canada, they like the cool temperatures.
Your simple preparation is a great way to honour the flavours of the humble turnip!
(And oh, how I miss Farmers Markets. As you can imagine, we only have them in the summer.)

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

Never tried turnips before - I need to change that!!

Judy said...

I love anything roasted, and these look so yummy. I'm going to look for baby turnips.

Reeni said...

I didn't know they came in yellow! I like turnips but sometimes they are just a little to bitter for me. I love that these are sweeter. They look really delicious!

Culinary Wannabe said...

Would you believe that I don't think I've ever had a turnip before. Yours look delicious.

Tiffany said...

I admit that I've never bought turnips. Those look really good though. All your recipes look great!

vanillasugarblog said...

Now that's a way to kick baby turnips up. Love it!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Delightful! I love turnips...

Cheers,

Rosa

Karen said...

The only way I've had turnips is mashed in with carrots at TGiving. These look so good!

Anonymous said...

I have never had a turnip before! What are they similar to?

Sara said...

Wow, so many people are new to turnips! I couldn't come up with a good way to describe the flavor, so I consulted the husband. He says "like parsnips, but not as sweet". I also think rutabaga is a reasonable comparison.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

Never saw these turnips before but let me tell you that this looks so good.

Pam said...

I have never had turnips - can you believe it? I really love roasting any vegetable so I am sure I would love roasted turnips too. They look very tasty.

Anonymous said...

They look great! I'd love to try these turnips too, they look so cute and scrumptious! :)

Nina Timm said...

Thank you for visiting my site. I envy you guys for having farmer's markets round each and every corner. The turnips look delicious and most tempting!!!

Donna-FFW said...

Sara-
These look lovely, and I do so enjoy farmers markets myself. I have only used turnips in soup before, I will have to try as a side dish. Fantastic pictures once again!!

CookiePie said...

Ooooh - those look delicious, so perfect for chilly weather! And I envy your granny smith tree! :)

Unknown said...

I love Farmer's Markets, too! I want to try turnips, especially if they taste sweet. Thanks for your tip on the pizza dough!

Katie said...

Mmm those turnips looks so good! I only have them on Thanksgiving, but that is silly and I should reintroduce them to my kitchen.

sj said...

oh my goodness do those look yummy! I never think to make turnips! Thanks for reminding me!

Heather said...

mmmm. i've never really gotten into turnips, but those look just delicious. i do love great farmers market finds :)

Nazarina A said...

Sara,
I bet this glaze made the turnips just irresistible.Thanks for reminding me about turnips, they are such a forgotten veggie in my home.

Sandie said...

My husband loves turnips---as silly as it seems, whenever I serve them, he thinks he's getting a huge treat. Isn't that crazy? I like them too, and think your glazed baby turnips sound delicious!

Deepthi Shankar said...

i didnt know, they come in yellow. lovely dish, Sara

Maria said...

Looks like the perfect side dish!

Anonymous said...

These turnips look wonderful! I have used turnips before but only in a soup. I have to try to use them more often! Thanks!

Hayley said...

Those turnips look beautiful. What a wonderful presentation. Thanks for visiting my site, yours is incredible. Everything looks so yummy, and I'm so jealous of the picture with Michael Chiarello!

Dee said...

I'm not sure I've ever cooked turnips - babies, big'uns, nada! How odd is that? I'm going to keep an eye peeled now for these beauties.

Cakelaw said...

Man, that looks good. I have never even tasted turnips, but I am quite sure that ones with a caramelized glaze like this would win me over. Delicious!

Sherry Trifle - Lovely Cats said...

What a lovely blog you have - I love all the imaginative recipes. Thanks for stopping by.

Robin said...

Sara I mentioned you in my post today. I made a version of your endive! They were delicious! Thanks for inspiring this dish, now I just need to make it your way as when I made it I forgot to print out your recipe so I was winging it. Have a great day!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

I'm not much on turnips until I read this. Now I'm dying to give them a try. Fleur de sel is such a fabulous finishing salt. Maybe now more people will give it a try along with the turnips.
Sam

priscilla joy said...

I never knew turnips came in yellow, but they look yummy!

Thistlemoon said...

Delicious. I adore turnips and love your method of bringing the sweetness out! Yummmmm.

Bharti said...

Mmmm...that looks yummy. I miss Farmers Markets. Gotta wait till summer :-(

susan said...

ooh, sounds yummy. and healthy! :)

amycaseycooks said...

I just made turnips for the first time last week. I mashed them and they were delicious. I will be on the lookout for those little beauties.

Anonymous said...

you know i'm really starting to love a turnip. this is such a great way to make them! i love this, thanks!

Anonymous said...

Gee whiz! I hate turnips, but these actually look tempting. Hubby does love them so may be worth a try.

Laurie said...

Sarah those glazed baby turnips look wonderful! It isn't something my mom made growing up, so I have no experience whatsoever with turnips. Glad to see the result lends to a sweet glazing affect!