Slow cooking carrots brings out their natural sweetness and creates a melt-in-your-mouth tender texture that is difficult to achieve with other methods.
Fold a 10" square piece of parchment paper in half, then into quarters.
With the openings at the top and right sides, fold the bottom right corner to the top left corner.
Make another smaller narrow triangle by folding the right side over the left.
Cut off ¼ inch at the bottom (narrow portion) to create a hole. Cut the top off at around 4 inches from the hole (for a 10" skillet).
For the Carrots
Bring the water, butter, thyme and salt to a simmer in a 10-inch skillet over high heat. Remove from heat and place the carrots in the pan in a single layer, alternating ends for a better fit. Place the parchment paper over the carrots, then cover the pan with a lid or a sheet pan and let stand for 20 minutes .
Remove lid from the skillet (leaving parchment in place) and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until there is almost no liquid remaining, which should take about 45 minutes. Remove and discard the parchment lid and continue to cook on high heat until a glaze forms from the remaining liquid, just a few minutes longer.
Season to taste and garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
To double the recipe; use a 12" skillet and a 12x12" piece of parchment to create the Cartouche.