Its like a mix between carrot cake and apple pie. Vegetables and fruit in a pie …. this recipe never fails to be fantastic even if you don’t like zucchini.
The oral history of pie predates its written record. Many cooks stand by family secrets scrawled on stained index cards. It seems, pie is eaten for breakfast, with lunch and for dessert after dinner. In many ways, pie is more prized because it takes time and effort, a slice carries more importance than a cookie, but is less fussy than cake.
The perfect pie (or galette), is built on two things …. a well made crust with a flaky texture and golden color and a fresh, well set, flavorful filling.
The combination of carrots, apple and zucchini is something special. The carrots and zucchini are really interchangeable, so if you’d like to use more of one than the other, no problem.
When baked, zucchini has a similar texture to an apple; it gets soft but retains some texture. Add the same warm, fragrant spices as in an apple pie, lemon juice, a bit of extra sugar to compensate and you got it!
This recipe has been one of my fall favorites for many years and we still enjoy its wonderful flavor.
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- 2 cups (340 gm) apples, grated
- 1 cup (125 gm zucchini, unpeeled & grated
- 1 cup (110 gm) carrots, grated
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped OR pumpkin seeds
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cardamom spice
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp orange zest
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 egg plus 1 Tbsp water, beaten for egg wash
- 1 homemade or purchased pastry
- Whipped cream for serving, if desired
Ingredients
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- Prepare pastry & either use 6 mini flan pans or one 9"deep pie pan. Preheat oven to 425 F.
- In a large bowl, combine apples, zucchini, carrots, nuts & flour; toss to coat.
- In a medium bowl, cream together brown sugar & butter; add cinnamon, cardamom, salt, lemon juice, vanilla, orange zest & 2 eggs. Blend well. Add apple mixture & combine well.
- Roll out pastry larger than your pans. Line pans leaving the jagged edge to fold over filling. Make a few pastry designs for the tops if you wish. Spoon filling into a pastry lined, mini pans. Flip rough edges over filling. Top with pastry in a fall leaf pattern. In a small dish, blend egg wash & brush over crust.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until deep golden brown. If necessary, cover pies loosely with foil during last 15 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning.
- Serve warm with whipped cream. Store any 'leftovers' in refrigerator.
- I laid the grated zucchini on paper towel & placed the grated apple in a strainer while I prepared the rest of the ingredients. In both cases, I did NOT hand squeeze them as you still need some of that moisture to prevent having a dry filling when baked.
