Wild Spiced Curly Carrot Pie: An Ode To Autumnal Orange

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Have you ever wandered through city streets or wild areas at sunset in the fall? The world, bathed in that tangerine light, looks as bright and radiant as the sunset itself. It seems as though everywhere I turn, the color of mid-autumn is just waiting to catch my eye. 

Orange are the leaves lining the streets, falling down through the air

Orange are the rowan berries and crabapples like freckles amongst their shifting foliage

Orange are the candle flames illuminating ever-lengthening evenings 

Orange are the pumpkins that seem to have appeared overnight on stoops and fenceposts, winking at me

Orange are the sweet fall carrots, pulled from the ground before the frosts come

Orange is in the silky air, the softened ground, the sunset dancing. 

What a beautiful love-letter from Mother Nature. It’s as if she knows there are struggles in the darker months ahead, so she is giving the world a warm, pumpkin-colored embrace so that we can soak it all in and bottle up the autumnal magic to carry us through until spring. I find it magical that so many fiery colors are cloaked beneath the power of chlorophyll the rest of the growing season! Every leaf is radiant with the change. Every day is full of new surprises. 

This time of year, pumpkins get all the glory. Pumpkin Spice has become a seasonal phenomenon, and can be found in seemingly every corner of the shops, from deodorants to candles to lattes to waffles. I think that this blend of spices typically used in pumpkin pies is quite lovely and warming, but it distills the essence of autumn down too much! Pumpkins and a tin of spices grown far away are not the only wonders to enjoy right now. Please allow me to share with you some other glimpses of fall magic: 

Wild fennel growing near a stream, some umbels holding mature seeds and others still golden with pollen - the most effervescent sweetness drifting through the air. The softness of damp earth and the satisfaction of pulling up a large carrot, extra sweet after a frost or two. Little red berries on spicebush twigs, leaving your hands smelling of allspice and something you can’t quite place as you pluck them. Bits of wonder, waiting to be transformed to something special. Perhaps a pie… 

Yes, carrot pie. I know that, when presented with an orange-colored pie, most people today would assume it to be the classic pumpkin. Travel back a hundred years or so and you might hear a different story! 

When I was in the fourth grade or so, I stumbled upon an old book with even older recipes. Things we don’t think about or recognize anymore… mincemeat, head cheese, and, to my utter delight, carrot pie. The book said that settlers would cook up a spiced carrot pie and then eat it for lunch! (Not dessert? A pie for an actual meal??) Armed with this evidence, I set out to make my own carrot pie and brought a slice to school the next day for my lunch. My parents couldn’t stop me since the book clearly stated that this was a lunch food. I was the queen of the cafeteria that week… 

I’ll be honest with you: I actually prefer carrot pie to pumpkin pie. They’re the same idea - cook until tender, puree, add some eggs and maybe some milk, mix in warming spices, and bake in a pie crust. But while pumpkin pie feels a bit muted and plain, carrot pie tastes surprisingly fresh. Add some crunchy candied carrot curls and orange ginger whipped cream and you’ll have quite a showstopper! This pie uses those same familiar warm spices of fall, with the additions of floral fennel pollen and dried spicebush berries. It’s a little wild, it’s a little extravagant, and it’s a whole lot of autumnal orange. 

Carrot Pie With Wild Spices:

This pie, with all its toppings, is lavish. You can cut corners with a store bought pastry crust and canned whipped cream, but if you have time, it is definitely worth it to make a toasty pecan crust and gingered orange whipped cream for a pie as delicious as it is memorable. The good news: you can bake this pie any time of the year (since carrots are always readily available and inexpensive) and you have my permission to eat it for lunch, no matter your age. Hey, I don’t make the rules - that ancient cookbook did. I hope you love this pie as much as I do. 

Ingredients: 

1 9” pie crust, unbaked (see optional recipe below) 

6 medium- large carrots 

2 Tbs. softened butter 

¾ c. half and half

¾ c. brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1 tsp. Powdered spicebush berries

1 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice

½ tsp. Fennel pollen 

½ tsp. Freshly grated nutmeg

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. Vanilla

1 Tbs. flour 

Directions: 

1. Press the pie crust evenly into a 9” pie pan. Chill in the fridge while you work on the filling.  

2. Peel and chop the carrots, then add them to a pot of boiling water and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. 

3. Drain the carrots well and gently pat dry with a kitchen towel or paper towel. 

4. Add the carrots, butter, and half and half  to a food processor and blend until completely smooth. Then add the brown sugar, eggs, spices, salt, vanilla, and flour until well combined and smooth. 

5. Preheat the oven to 400F. When it’s reached temperature, brush the pie crust with an egg wash (made by whisking one egg with about 1 tsp. water). Bake for five minutes, then remove from the oven and pour in the filling. 

6. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350F and bake for an additional 40 minutes or until the pie is set and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, then refrigerate for at least an hour. 

7. Right before serving, decorate with the candied carrot curls and orange whipped cream. 

Pecan pie crust: 

I love the rich nuttiness that the pecans add to this simple recipe. It all comes together quickly with the help of a food processor. I usually make mine gluten-free, which makes a slightly crumbly pastry but it’s still just as delicious! 

Ingredients: 

½ c. pecans 

1 ¾ c. gluten-free or all-purpose flour (+½ c more if necessary.) 

1 Tbs. sugar 

1 tsp. Salt

⅔  c. vegetable shortening

½ tsp. Vinegar

¼ c. ice water

Directions: 

1. Put the pecans and the flour into a food processor and blend until the pecans are finely-ground. Add the sugar and salt and pulse until well mixed. 

2. Cut the shortening into small pieces and add it to the food processor. Pulse a couple of times, or until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.

3. Mix the vinegar into the ice water. Using a fork, mix the pastry mixture while you add the cold water, a teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together into a ball. The dough should be soft enough not to crumble when you shape or roll it, but should not be sticky. 

4. Shape the dough into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes, then roll it out and place it in a 9” pie pan. Bake as per directions above. 

Candied Carrot Curls: 

These are such a fun garnish for all sorts of baked goods! They are, of course, entirely optional, but why would you want to skip something so delightfully whimsical? I’ve based my recipe on these instructions

Ingredients: 

4 large, straight carrots 

2 c. sugar

Directions: 

1. Peel the carrots. Then, use a vegetable peeler to shave long strips of each carrot. 

2. Add the sugar and 2c water to a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar crystals. Once it is a clear solution and boiling, add in the carrot strips. 

3. Reduce the heat to low and let the carrot strips simmer for 15 minutes, gently stirring often so no part of the carrots get burned. 

4. After 15 minutes of simmering, the carrots will be slightly translucent and coated in a thick syrup. Strain them, and allow them to cool in a large bowl for 5 minutes. (You want to work with them when they are hot, but not so hot to risk burns.) 

5. Lay out the carrot strips on a non-stick baking sheet and bake them at 225F for 20 minutes to help them dry out a bit more. 

6. Turn off the oven but leave the pan in there. Working with one strip at a time, wrap it around a dowel or the handle of a wooden spoon and slide off onto a baking sheet covered in sugar. Gently sprinkle sugar all around each carrot curl. Work as quickly as you can, since the strips all need to be shaped before they get overly dry and brittle! 

7. Once all of your carrot curls are made and sugared, let cool completely. Use them immediately on the carrot pie, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. 

Orange Ginger Whipped Cream: 

This ginger-spiked whipped cream gets its bright color from dunaliella salina powder, which is a natural source of bright orange color, plus lots of nutrients. It’s derived from a certain kind of algae that is very high in beta and alpha-carotene and other antioxidants! Don’t worry, it doesn’t taste fishy at all - if anything, it has a subtle toasted flavor that melds well with autumnal flavors. I love using it for a punch of color, but it is entirely optional. Either way, this gingered whipped cream is delightful. 

Ingredients: 

4 oz cream cheese

1 c. heavy whipping cream, chilled 

¼ c. powdered sugar

1 tsp. Dried ginger

2 tsp. Dunaliella salina powder, optional 

Zest from one orange 

Directions: 

1. Scoop the cream cheese into the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on medium-high for 3-4 minutes, or until it is totally smooth and lump-free. 

2. Keeping the mixer going on medium, pour the cream in a little at a time, allowing it to fully incorporate before adding more. Scrape the bowl down often to keep the mixture smooth. Continue adding the cream slowly until ¾ has been incorporated, then pour in the rest. 

3. Continue beating until the cream and cream cheese mixture forms soft peaks. Add the powdered sugar, ginger, dunaliella salina powder, and orange zest. 

4. Continue beating until it forms slightly stiffer peaks (do not overbeat!), then pipe onto the chilled pie and serve immediately.

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