Diana Millay's Drunken Carrots

from the Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook

With plenty of carrots from the garden and the Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook at the ready, I couldn't imagine anything more intriguing than trying Diana Millay's Drunken Carrots.  A dish of food coming under the influence of the fetchingly beautiful and deadly Diana would have to be out of this world!  Having a well known passion for all things culinary, she would "rather eat than act" in her own words, but fortunately she does both to perfection.  The carrots are easy to prepare.  Sliced thinly, they are gently simmered in a little butter or margarine, a teaspoon of sugar, dried dill (or fresh), salt, pepper, and a cup of beer.  I used a bottle Samuel Adams because it's popular in Collinsport, brought up from nearby Boston and always on tap at the Blue Whale.  But the main point of the recipe is that the beer brings out the natural sweetness in the carrots and forms a very light glaze.  You will be delighted with them and your guests will wonder what the secret ingredient is.  Oh, and you can cook the carrots  very simply on your stove top.  No need to invoke the great god Ra for this one.  Save that for some serious fire raising or for roasting an ox on your sacrificial altar.  I thought these carrots were great and they go well with other main dishes form the book like Joan Bennett's Beef Stroganoff, Sharon Smyth's Barbecued Chicken, or Clarice Blackburn's Pork Chops for Two.