Spiced Carrot Puddings Recipe

Carrots are not just suited for carrot cake. The sweet taste of this root crop also makes them ideal for puddings of all kinds. Indeed, village-style puddings have been made with carrots and parsnips for many generations. This is a modernized version of those traditional puddings, incorporating cream cheese, oranges and spices.

Spiced Carrot Puddings

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1 small orange
110g (4 oz) carrots, finely grated
2 eggs, beaten
250g (9 1/4 oz) cream cheese or Greek yoghurt
1 tsp mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice)
4 tsp honey

Method:

Finely grate the zest from the orange and set aside. With a sharp knife, slice the orange into the thinnest rounds you can. Take four ramekins and sit an orange slice in the base of each one.

Mix together the carrots, orange zest, eggs, cream cheese (or yoghurt), spice and honey. Spoon this mixture over the orange slices.

Sit the ramekins in a deep roasting tin and pour in enough hot water to come 2/3 of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180ºC (350ºF, Gas Mark 4) and bake for about 20 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown on top.

Remove the roasting tin from the oven and set aside to cool for 5 minutes. Now take out the ramekins and carefully loosen the sides with a knife.

Turn out onto plates and serve immediately.