Carrot Cardamom Pie with Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream

Indian food is my very favorite. When my hubby suggested a carrot pie I turned to my favorite Indian dessert for inspiration - spiced carrot pudding. Ever had it? It's like a rice pudding made with shredded carrot instead of rice. Carrots are cooked down with sugar, milk, golden raisins, and cardamom to make a gorgeous pudding that's garnished with nuts. It's totally delish. These are the fabulous flavors I put into my Carrot Cardamom Pie with Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream.

Take Thanksgiving to the next level with my Carrot Cardamom Pie and Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream.

This Carrot Cardamom Pie is just as creamy and sweet as any ol' pumpkin or sweet potato pie. Roasting the carrots brings out their natural sweetness, and the cardamom adds a happy surprise of exotic autumn flavor to the custard. Oh, and the pistachio cardamom whipped cream? It really is something special. You may end up squirting half the piping bag down your throat. Save some for the pie, will ya!




Start by roasting yourself about 8 large carrots.




Once cooled, zap them in a food processor until pureed. You may need to stop your machine and push down the contents a few times.




I used a sourdough pastry shell for my pie, but a regular one will do just fine - just make sure it's deep dish. I blind baked my crust for 15 to 20 minutes to avoid a soggy bottom.

Mix up your carrot custard and pour into your cooled crust. Wrap foil gently around the edges of the pie and bake for 20 minutes. Then, remove the foil and bake another 25 to 30 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Get foodie fancy with this Carrot Cardamom Pie and Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream.

When your pie is completely cool, make your whipped cream and pipe pretty swirls all around it. Or, you can just heap it all on top like a cream pie. This recipe makes a stabilized whipped cream, so you don't have to worry about it turning into a puddle as it sits on your dessert table.

Pretty swirls of Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream top this foodie fabulous Carrot Cardamom Pie.

Go "foodie" this Thanksgiving by serving this spin on the classic pumpkin pie and amaze your guests with the delectable flavors of cardamom and pistachio.




Carrot Cardamom Pie with Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream
(makes 1 deep dish pie)

INGREDIENTS
For the Carrot Cardamom Pie:
about 8 to 10 large carrots
olive oil to coat
1 deep dish single pie crust (I used sourdough pastry)
4 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
12 oz evaporated milk

For the Pistachio Cardamom Whipped Cream:
1 pint whipping cream
1 Tbsp pistachio pudding mix
1/3 cup powdered sugar
a scant 1/2 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp cardamom

another 1/4 tsp cardamom to garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees, line a large baking sheet with foil and lightly grease.
2. Peel and cut carrots into similar sized pieces so they roast evenly. Toss them with a little olive oil, dump onto baking sheet, and roast for 30 to 45 minutes or until a knife easily slides into the chunks.
3. Allow carrots to cool and lower oven temp to 375 degrees.
4. Blind bake your crust. Line the crust with foil, fill with 1 lb dry beans, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans, push down any puffiness, and bake another 5 minutes. Allow crust to cool for 10 to 15 minutes. Raise the oven temp to 400 degrees.
5. When carrots are cool enough, put them in a food processor and process until you have a puree. I had to stop the machine and push the mixture down several times.
6. Weigh out 15 oz of carrot puree (or about 1 1/2 cups) and place in a bowl.
7. Beat the eggs into the puree and then beat in the rest of the pie ingredients using a whisk.
8. Pour the custard into your cooled crust and lightly wrap the edges with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. If the edges look too brown as the pie bakes, cover them again with foil.
9. Allow pie to cool completely.
10. Beat all of the ingredients for the whipped cream until stiff peaks form.
11. Pipe rosettes or simple puffs all around the pie, sprinkle a little cardamom over the cream, and serve with any leftover whipped cream. You can also just pile all of the whipped cream onto the pie at once for a more cream pie kinda look.