An unusual sweet treat to try this Easter!
This delightful treat is a cross between a cream horn, pumpkin pie and the delightful northern Indian desert Gajar Ka Halwa Recipe.
Ingredients:
1 pack of ready rolled puff pastry
1 egg (Orange food colouring, optional)
tinfoil
2 tbsp butter
2½ carrots, peeled & grated
360ml whole milk
½ teaspoon finely crushed cardamom seeds
5 tbsp sugar
65g unsalted cashews, chopped
1 tablespoon pistachios, chopped and sprigs of mint to garnish
Method:
• Preheat oven per pastry packet instructions.
• Tear off some tinfoil and squash to make a firm cone shape approximately 10cm (4”) long. If you have cone shaped pastry forms you can use these instead.
• Cut 5cm (2”) strips of pastry and wind around your metal cones overlapping slightly. Pinch to seal the end and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper with a good space between them. Whisk the egg and brush onto the face up pastry (if you want orange carrots add a few drops of the colouring to the egg wash prior to brushing).
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden, remove and set aside to cool still on the cone shapes.
• Peel then grate the carrots using the smallest side of the grater. You can do it by hand or use a food processor.
• Heat a pan on medium heat, once hot, add 1 tablespoon of butter.
• Add the grated carrots and sauté for about 8 minutes until the colour of the carrots changes.
• Keep stirring to avoid burning. This is a labour of love.
• Add milk and cashews to the grated carrots and cook the carrots and milk down for 6-7 minutes until all the milk is absorbed by the carrots. Keep stirring to avoid sticking and burning.
• Once all the milk is absorbed add the sugar. Carrots are naturally sweet but if you have a sweet tooth, taste a little of the carrot mixture and add more sugar to your preference. Immediately after adding the sugar add the remaining tablespoon of butter.
• Keep stirring until all the water left behind by the sugar is absorbed. This process will take about 5-6 minutes.
• Once done, add cardamom powder and continue cooking until the mixture is dry.
• Let the mixture cool then puree in a blender.
• Spoon or pipe the carrot filling into your pastry cones. Sprinkle the open end with chopped pistachios and stick a sprig of mint in the end to look like carrot leaves.
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