I have so many little people to thank for this recipe!

I never could have done it were it not for the bold pioneers who went before me. Although the inspiration for this recipe may come from many, I have decided to take all the credit myself! And if I cry and sniffle a little whilst taking all the credit, people will cheer me on as an underdog. The little guy who beat "the man".

That's me– The Little Engine That Could!  I believe this is the way you get ahead in the world, n'est-ce pas?

Because truthfully I did have many an inspiration when I sat down and started putting this recipe together. One of the primary "little people" involved in this dish is a quaint cook named Daniel Boulud. Perhaps you've heard if him? He runs a charming little self-named cafe on an island somewhere. It's a bit off the beaten track on East 76th Street, I believe. If you ever find yourself in that part of the world you must pop in. Tell him Sup! sez Hi...

Eating in truly exceptional restaurants is one of life's great joys in my opinion. Fortunately I live in Los Angeles where there is no shortage of such establishments. But for a variety of reasons (such as the state of my wallet) you can't always indulge yourself in this manner.

Still, sometimes you want to eat something special. Something particular. Maybe it's a regional specialty that you are craving. Perhaps it contains some unusual or hard to find ingredients. These are the times it pays to be a decent cook. But even decent cooks can get slammed up against the wall because when you crave something particular, something unusual there is the likely possibility that the corner market is not gonna carry all the items you need. How are you gonna make your particular culinary dream come true?

You could always improvise. There is a certain joy in creating something out of nothing. You could substitute a few anchovys for the Colatura di Alici in that special pasta you flipped over in that little seaside village south of Rome. You'd feel great, the pasta would be delicious, but deep inside you'd know it wasn't REALLY what you were craving.

Aren’t we foodies a funny bunch?

It was not that long ago when baby field greens came into our sightline. What a revelation they were to people like us!

The mesclun salad was born and it stormed our palates. It made all the other types of lettuce seem brutish. But now I look at those emaciated, limp little leaves and I find myself thinking. Is that all there is?

These greens were exciting when they were new. They were difficult to find too far from the fields of which they were harvested. That’s because they were difficult to store & transport.

We loved them and we let them take over our salad plates. Not just because they were new, but also because by their very nature they had to be eaten at their freshest and most flavorful.

So this week at the Hollywood Farmers Market I saw bunches of little round French Carrots. They are spectacular raw. They have a very intensified “carroty” flavor. Just the right size to pop in your mouth. No need to peel these babies.

You can see how pretty they are. They can range in color from pale yellow to nearly crimson. I knew they would be a good choice this week. I hear they get their name because they are easy to grow in shallow window boxes "sur les rues et les avenues de Paris!"

So it seemed like my lucky day. I thought my Market Matters post could be easy this week. I would just say something like “buy French Carrots and eat them raw”. No recipe. No cooking. Of course I’d have to find a way to say it in 1000 words. Pas de problème, oui?

But, now that they are here at home I am starting to think that this might be a good time to talk about glazing. Glazing vegetables.

Glazed carrots are a marvel to behold. Beautiful. Shiny. Colorful. They take well to other flavors, but don’t need them to be incredible. It’s such a tremendous technique. It’s a wonder more people don’t practice this method.