Carrot, Pecan and Liqueur Dessert

Created for RSC #10. No, this is not some carrot-cake wannabe! Very different, this is a dessert whose flavours will surprise you.

• Ready In: 1 hr 15 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• Dessert base

• 1 1⁄2 lbs carrots, cleaned and cut into rounds
• 3  large eggs
• 1⁄2 cup brown sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 2  teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 cup  whole milk
• 3  tablespoons heavy cream
• 2  tablespoons Kahlua
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 3⁄4 cup pecans, roughly chopped

• Topping

• 1⁄2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2  tablespoons brown sugar
• 1  pinch salt
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 1  lemon, zest of (grate finely)

Directions

1. Boil the carrots in a little water until soft, then drain very well in a sieve or colander.
2. While carrots boil set oven at 375 deg F or 190 deg C., and grease a 9" pie dish or some similar oven dish.
3. Whisk together well: eggs, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, milk, cream, Kahlua and vanilla. Mix very well, or do this step in a blender or processor.
4. When carrots are soft and have been drained, simply crush them with a fork -- don't make a purée but don't leave large pieces in the mash: just evenly break them up.
5. Add the milk-egg mixture to the mashed carrots, then fold in the pecans.
6. Ladle or pour the dessert mixture into the greased oven dish. Bake for about 40 - 45 minutes, until set. (It might have the slightest wobble in the centre when done).(After 20 minutes of baking you will probably need to shield the pie with foil to prevent edges turning too brown -- keep a watch for that).
7. Cool pie until lukewarm.
8. Put the ingredients for the topping (EXCEPT the lemon zest) in a bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until the cream holds soft peaks.
9. Grate the zest from a lemon (avoiding the white pith) and keep. Each serving needs about 1/2 teaspoon or more, as it adds to the flavour of the dessert -- if your lemon does not yield enough zest, use a second one as well.
10. If you used a pie plate for the dessert you should be able to cut neat wedges when serving, otherwise divide dessert into squares to serve.
11. Top each serving with a spoonful of cream, and the lemon zest as suggested in the step above.