Maple Apple Carrot Mélange is a quick and delicious side that seems to encapsulate the fancy dinner party spirit of The Best of Beta Sigma Phi Cookbook.  It is colorful, flavorful, and the unique combination of carrots and apples will communicate your sophisticated tastes to whoever you are trying to impress.

All kidding aside, what initially drew me to this recipe was that I didn’t have to peel the apples before I cooked them.  Peeling apples is a pain in the neck and almost never worth the trouble, and I feel like it takes a lot of flavor, not to mention color and fiber, along with it.  I’ve been known to leave the skin on my apples when making apple pie.  Carrots, on the other hand, are a vegetable that I like much better raw.  I’ve learned to tolerate cooked carrots as I’ve gotten older, but they’ve got to be done properly.  And Maple Apple Carrot Mélange does them properly.  The maple syrup and apples add back some of their sweetness that’s lost in the cook.  The key to getting this right is to choose fresh, tart apples and cook them just long enough to heat them through.  Overcooked, old apples will get a little bit mealy.  I’ve reduced the cooking time for the apples to prevent this from happening, but if you start with mealy apples they’re only going to get mealier.

Now maybe I’m brainwashed by breakfast foods, but maple syrup seems to be a natural fit for pork products.  Pair Maple Apple Carrot Mélange alongside or on top of a pan-seared pork chop, pork tenderloin, or a thick slice of ham, plus a starch and a green vegetable.  Enjoy!