Most food, from fruit to fish, has a season -a time when it is abundant and at its best. Knowledge about food's seasons was once essential to survival and became culturally ingrained over the centuries. Today, we have all but lost this accumulated wisdom. Does this matter, in an age where technology can bring us anything we want to eat, whenever we want it?
Wash and trim carrots. Peel onions. Place in pot with 1/2 inch boiling salted water. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove lid and boil rapidly, shaking pot to prevent burning, until water is absorbed. Stir in cream and add pepper and salt to taste, if necessary. Serve with a very light sprinkling of nutmeg.