October 04, 2006
Colonial Carrot Pie
1¼ pound carrots (there are 2 ½ pounds in the basket this week)
¾ cup white sugar
1 cup milk
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
3 eggs
1 unbaked 9 inch pie shell.
Slice the carrots and steam till very tender.
Heat the oven to 425º.
Puree the carrots in a blender or food processor until very smooth. Add some of the milk now if you need to for the carrots to be smooth. Add everything else and blend until smooth and evenly mixed (you might have to do two batches). Put into the pie shell and bake for 15 minutes, then turn down the oven to 350º and bake for another 45 minutes or until set. Cool before slicing.
This recipe reminds me of Zoë’s excellent carrot souffle (on the blog at October 5, 2005). It is also not unlike pumpkin pie.
The recipe is based on one in the Edible Heirloom Garden by Rosalind Creasy. She says that in Colonial days, carrot pies and similar vegetable pies were eaten at lunch or supper, not as dessert. Waverly made herself a kid sized carrot pie and loved it for lunch. It would be great at dessert with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
I made this with a whole wheat crust from Laurel’s Kitchen. Cornelia says the pie is too delicate for the whole wheat crust, that it really needs a white flour crust. Peter said it was good but too cinnamony, so I wrote in reduced it to ¾ teaspoon.
Posted by maryellen at October 4, 2006 08:53 PMI can't wait to try that recipe!
Posted by: Katie at October 10, 2006 05:33 PM