Little Ivy Cakes

A Dessert from INDIA...
GAJAR KA HALWA

I finally felt like I had some time to get back into some recipe trying and signed up for an April Taste & Create challenge. For those of you who have never joined in for the Taste & Create, you can sign up each month and are paired with another food blog to try one of their recipes as they try one of yours and blog about it. It's quite awesome and it allows you to broaden your cooking horizons. :)

For the month of April I had the pleasure of being partnered with the blog Tasty Treats who has so many diverse and lip-smacking recipes. I had so many new and great choices but, finally came across Gajar Ka Halwa a quite popular Indian carrot pudding. So I created this little dessert dish to revolve around the pudding...


(Toasted coconut shortbread crust topped with tangy frozen yogurt, and warmed Gajar Ka Halwa. Then garnished with toasted cashews, golden raisins, and toasted coconut)

Gajar Ka Halwa is actually quite an addictive little pudding. I have to say after my last flop, this little creation was an instant hit. The whole combination is really amazing with the tangy, sweet, cardamom, and nuttyness of the the crust-mmmmmmm-wondrous. When I gave this dessert to my husband he had no words but a great big kiss for me. Haha. This means it was beyond great. :)

So, with that, below are the recipes if you would like to try this out. Now, I am recipe-translation challenged and so I am not sure if I got everything right with the proportions so you can either get the pudding recipe at the link above or try the version I ended up making. I was able to get what seemed to be the right consistency on the pudding so...

There was one key ingredient for the pudding that I had to make. This ingredient is GHEE.
Here's a Ghee Recipe to try-then use in carrot pudding recipe below.

GAJAR KA HALWA

4 tbs Ghee
4 large carrots peeled and grated
1 cup milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Toasted whole cashew nuts and golden raisins in 1tsp ghee for garnish

-Grate carrots (beware of flying carrot confetti)

-Heat ghee in saucepan

-Add crated carrots and saute for about 5 minutes or more
-Add milk and stir once in a while simmer on high-med heat until most of the milk has soaked in to carrots

-Add sugar and continue cooking and stirring about 15-20 minutes until the mixture becomes thick


-When ready, take off heat and stir in spices.

COCONUT SHORT BREAD BASE

(half recipe) from blueberry cheesecake bars I made, see pictures and better instructions HERE.
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter @ room temp
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla paste ( this is what I have right now, you can use vanilla extract instead of coarse)
1/4 cup toasted coconut bits (toast shredded sweetened coconut until golden brown, toss into the food processor or blender and blended to fine bits)
1 1/4 cup AP flour
Pinch of Salt

-Preheat oven to 350F
-Cream butter and sugar until really super fluffified
-Add vanilla and egg and mix well
-Add coconut bits
-Mix salt into flour
-Slowly add flour mixture into butter mixture
-Line a small edged baking pan with parchment paper sticking up from edges.
-Fill the bottom of the pan with dough smoothing out for a crust.
-Bake for about 10-15 minutes until slightly golden brown.
-Let cool out of oven then transfer onto a cutting board by picking up edges of parchment paper.
-Cut into squares

TANGY FROZEN YOGURT
-Line a square (or round) cupcake pan with plastic wrap
-Fill the cupcake pan with plain, thicker style yogurt like. Greek style is good or I get the brand Mountain High which is a pretty thick yogurt. Cover top of yogurt with plastic wrap.
-Freeze for 3-5 hours. You want the yogurt to hold shape and be frozen but not like a rock.

Putting it all together

Place a shortbread square the plate, then place the frozen yogurt square on top of the crust, then a good round scoop of Gajar Ka Halwa, garnish with cashews, golden raisins and toasted coconut.

THE END!
Coming up...Cashew cream with fresh fruit.