WOLFGANG PUCK'S CARROT LOAF

from 02/16/03 New York Times Magazine
(adapted from Modern French Cooking For The American Kitchen, by Wolfgang Puck)

Note: This carrot loaf is pretty but bland and boring. I bought a delicious wedge of cave-aged gruyere just for this recipe. What a waste. Couldn't even taste it. Also, I did NOT use 6 ounces of butter! I sauteed the vegetables in a modest amount of olive oil in a non-stick pan. And no, I don't think the lack of butter is what made it taste so bland. I think all that butter would have only made a bland and greasy carrot loaf.

6 ounces unsalted butter
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 pound mushrooms, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 pound fresh spinach, rinsed well and dried, stems removed
6 eggs
1 cup grated Gruyere or Swiss cheese (4 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper.

  1. Melt 2 ounces of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots and saute slowly until tender, about 25 minutes. Chop coarsely and place in a bowl.
  2. Increase heat to high and melt 1 ounce of the butter in the same skillet. Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. Chop coarsely and add to carrots. Set aside.
  3. Melt 2 ounces butter over medium-high heat in the same skillet, add the spinach and saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Chop coarsely, place in a separate bowl and set aside.
  4. Line an 8-1/2 by 4-1/2 by 2-1/2 inch loaf pan with aluminum foil. Butter foil with the remaining butter. Beat together 4 eggs, the cheese, salt and pepper in a medium bowl, add to the carrot mixture and mix well. Add the remaining eggs to the spinach and mix well. Spread half the carrot mixture over the bottom of the pan, cover with the spinach mixture and top with the remaining carrot mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
  5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap, cover the loaf pan loosely with foil and place in a roasting pan. Add enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the loaf pan. Bake 1 hour or until a knife plunged into the center comes out clean. Uncover, invert the loaf onto a serving platter and remove foil. Slice and serve immediately.

Yield: 8 servings.