A beautiful Easter dessert
Carrot cakes abound this time of year, and I love carrot cake as much as the next person, but I also feel too much of a good thing can get boring and predictable. So I thought to myself, I have a beautiful tart pan and a couple of ideas, and thus this carrot pudding tart was baked.
I’m not really clear on what makes anything “pudding” anymore since I’ve discovered sticky toffee pudding, which is, in fact, a cake, and everyone should have it; so I am brashly taking the liberty of dubbing my carrot pudding tart a carrot pudding tart because it seems like a smart name.
It also has a swipe of vanilla creme fraiche and candied carrot chips. It’ll be a big crowd pleaser on your Easter menu!
Aaron's Tart Dough
One of my favorite cookbooks, Salt, Acid, Fat, Heat, by Samin Nosrat lists “Aaron’s Tart Dough” as both versatile and forgiving. I can attest to how easy this dough is to work with. The recipe calls for creme fraiche, but sour cream or plain yogurt would probably work just as well. It draped easily to form the bottom of the tart, and the remaining dough was mine to play with.
To make these braids, I first rolled Aaron’s Tart Dough out flat and then cut it with my pastabike which makes these fun, pinked edges. My pastabike came with my pasta maker at Sur la Table but you can also buy the bike separately. (It’s a better deal to get the pasta maker, though. Really, it’s cheaper.) A pastry cutter probably would have been the right tool, but I don’t have one (yet).
The dough was truly easy to work with and never tore as I braided it.
Carrot pudding filling
What’s a carrot pudding tart without the carrot pudding filling? It comes together similar to making lemon curd (though, carrot curd sounds too dissonant for my taste; I’ll stick with pudding, thank you).Freshly shredded carrot, freshly grated ginger, freshly zested orange and juice, brown sugar, lots of warm spices, butter, of course, and cornstarch and egg yolks for binding.
It’s the best of carrot cake minus the flour! But who needs it when you have Aaron’s Tart Dough? The spices, similar to carrot cake, are ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and the secret ingredient: cardamom. If you don’t have cardamom, it’s not the end of the world! But you should definitely try it some time!
The flavors of this tart would be a bit caramelized, spiced (the cinnamon and cardamom really shine), and pleasantly carrot-y. I think walnuts or pistachios would work wonderfully in here, too, but I haven’t tried. Let me know if you do.
To make the carrot pudding tart filling, melt a stick of butter in a medium pot. Add in freshly shredded carrots, grated, ginger, and orange zest. Definitely shred the carrots yourself, as pre-shredded carrots are very dry. Let it cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Then combine the orange juice, spices, egg yolks, corn starch, and sugar. Spread it all over the carrots and continue cooking until it comes together in a ball. Allow it to cool completely before spreading onto the tart dough.
Wrap up your Easter meal with this beautiful carrot pudding tart. Maybe even start the following morning with it? It is both unique and unassuming–a humble tart. With Easter upon us, that sounds perfect.
Carrot Pudding Tart
Ingredients
Carrot Pudding Filling
- 1/2 cup Butter, salted
- 1½ cups Freshly shredded carrots, packed about 6-8 carrots, don't use pre-shredded carrots
- 2 tsp Freshly grated ginger
- 1 tbsp Orange zest
- 1/3 cup Fresh orange juice
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp Ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 3 tbsp Corn starch
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt
- 4 Egg yolks
- 2/3 cup Brown sugar, packed
Aaron's Tart Dough
- 1⅔ cup Flour
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Baking powder
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt
- 8 tbsp Butter, unsalted cut into 1/2" cubes
- 6 tbsp Creme fraiche or sour cream, plus more for serving
- 2-4 tbsp Ice water
- 1 Egg Lightly beaten
Instructions
Carrot Pudding Filling
- Melt butter in a heavy, medium-sized sauce pot. Add the carrots, ginger, and orange zest. Cook for 5 minutes on medium-low heat, stirring occassionally.
- Combine the orange juice, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, salt, vanilla, cornstarch, and eggs and whisk well.
- Spoon the brown sugar over the cooking carrots and stir. Then pour the orange juice mixture over it all and stir until it comes together in a stiff dough-like consistency.
- Cool to room temperature or transfer to the refrigerator and make the dough.
Aaron's Tart Dough
- In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Drop in the cubes of butter, and either with your hands, a fork, or a pastry cutter, smush the butter into the flour.
- Scoop in the creme fraich and gently work the flour into it until a shaggy ball forms. Add only as much water as you need to get it to come together. Some shaggy dough is still fine.
- Place dough in the center of a sheet of plastic wrap and twist it sealed. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.
- When ready, divide the dough in half. Roll one half into a flat round and drape over an ungreased tart pan. Press dough into the grooves of the pan and trim the excess.
- Spread the carrot pudding filling evenly into the tart.
- Roll the second half flat and cut into thin strips with either a knife or pastry cutter. Carefully create a lattice pattern with the strips. You can also create a braid out of the strips to drape around the circumference of the tart pan.
- Brush with a beaten egg.
- Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes on the middle rack, then lower the heat to 400°F for another 10 minutes, and 375° for a final 10 minutes. Check on it frequently to ensure the crust does not burn. Cool completely before cutting.
- With the remaining creme fraiche, add vanilla bean paste or extract and sugar to desired taste. Take a spoonful and drop it on a serving plate. With the spoon facing up, place the bottom of the spoon on the dollop and swipe the creme fraiche along the plate for a little flair. Serve next to a slice of tart.
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