Preparation
Blanch the carrots in salted boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes until tender. Remove the carrots from the water and place in a large bowl of iced water. Once cool, place the carrots on a towel to dry. To make the hummus, place the carrots, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne in the work bowl of a food processor or blender, puree until smooth. Reserve.
To make the dukkah mixture, preheat the oven to 375ºF. Place the pecans on a pie tin and toast in the oven until the nuts begin to darken, about 8-10 minutes. Roughly chop on a cutting board and set aside. Toast the sesame seeds in a hot skillet over high heat for a minute or two, stirring constantly to evenly brown. Remove from the skillet and set side. Place the coriander and cumin in the skillet and toast for a minute or two until fragrant and starting to darken. Pulse in spice mill until coarsely ground. Add the hazelnuts and pulse once or twice to incorporate. Place in a small bowl and stir in the sesame seeds, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
To serve, spoon the carrot hummus into individual servings. Top with a little of the dukkah, a few slices of the julienned preserved lemon, chopped mint and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with croutons.
Enjoy with a glass of Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay Reserve.