Sweat the carrots and onions in canola oil until soft, roughly 8 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and chipotle. Cook until the vegetables become rust-colored and lightly caramelized, roughly 4 minutes.

Add cream, paprika and milk.

Simmer the mixture until the carrots are completely soft, roughly 4 minutes.

Add the cheese and salt.

Mix until the cheese is melted and the sauce is homogenous, roughly 1 minute.

Blend, gradually turning up the heat to high, until smooth. This could take up to 4 minutes.

Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer and hold warm in a sealed container.

Optional: Pour carrot foam into a whipping siphon, charge with two cartridges of NO2 and reserve warm.

Make ahead: The mousse can be made ahead and refrigerated. When you’re ready, gently warm and serve, or gently warm and charge in the siphon before use.

Over medium heat, melt the sugar until caramelized; do not stir the sugar.

Meanwhile, toast the hazelnuts in a 350°F oven for 6 minutes.

Combine the nuts and caramel while still warm, stir until evenly coated. Then dump the nuts onto a parchment-lined sheet tray, sprinkle with salt and let cool. Lightly crush the hazelnuts with the back of a pot or with a knife.

Over medium-high heat, reduce the carrot juice by half. Turn heat to low and whisk all of the butter into the glaze 1 tablespoon at a time.

Season the glaze with lime juice and salt and keep warm.

Preheat oven to 450°F.

In a small bowl, mix the baby carrots, salt and oil until well coated.

Place the carrots on a parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet and bake until lightly caramelized but still al dente, roughly 6 to 8 minutes.

TO SERVE:

With the carrots still warm, toss them in a bowl with the glaze, crushed candied hazelnuts and 1 tablespoon of the thinly sliced chives.

On 8 serving plates, gently compress a small round of carrot foam from the siphon onto the middle of each plate.

If not using the siphon, simply spoon a small round of the carrot foam on each plate.

Next, equally divide the glazed carrots among the plates, placing them in the center of each carrot foam round.

Garnish the carrots with leaves of cilantro, the remaining chives, the thinly sliced cilantro stems and a touch of crunchy sea salt.

NOTES:

If you’re feeling ambitious and weather permits, these carrots are best cooked chargrilled until deeply caramelized over a wood, charcoal or gas grill.