You don’t have to be a professional confectioner or a pastry chef to make these brilliant orange curls. Elevate your next carrot cake with an extra touch of whimsy, texture, and sweetness. You can make these curls up to five days ahead- just layer the finished curls between sheets of wax paper and store at room temperature in an airtight container.
Ingredients:
- Parchment paper
- Vegetable cooking spray
- 1 or 2 large peeled carrots
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- Sugar (optional)
Preparation:
- Prepare the carrots: Preheat oven to 225°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, and lightly grease with cooking spray. Remove 15 to 20 long strips from carrots, using a vegetable peeler. (Strips will get wider as you get close to the core of the carrot.)
- Cook and drain: Bring 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar to a boil in a large heavy-duty saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrot strips, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer carrot strips 15 minutes. Drain in a wire-mesh strainer, and cool 5 minutes.
- Bake the strips: Spread cooked carrot strips 1 inch apart in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Bake at 225° for 30 minutes. As the carrot strips bake, they will begin to look translucent. Remove from oven. (Strips will be warm but cool enough to handle.)
- Create the curls: Working quickly, wrap each carrot strip around the handle of a wooden spoon, forming curls. Gently slide off spoon. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Let curls sit at room temperature until completely dry (about 30 minutes).