Valentine special…Gajar halwa cheesecake pie/ Indian style carrot pudding cheesecake pie
Last one month has been hectic, like a roller coaster ride with loads of housework, looking after the kids, my voluntary work, social commitments and so on.Sometimes blogging does take a backseat with priorities coming my way.
I am just back from the city of Destiny,Vizag after attending the International Fleet Review where my better half performed for the air show and I sat there in the enthralled audience mesmerised and proud as he and his fly boys roared in the Vizag skies in their fighter jets defying gravity with their heart flipping manoeuvres.
Like many people I also knew what the words duty, loyalty, respect, selfless service, honour, integrity and courage meant.But how often do we see someone living upto those values. In the defence services I see the soldiers living them everyday, every moment and in everything they do whether on duty or off duty.
With the hubby embarked on the aircraft carrier as usual, this Valentines Day is also a lonely one with the kids to give me company. Well, after eighteen long years I am used to the embarkations and deployments and there’s no use cribbing and complaining about something that’s not in our hands. Myself and the kids have reconciled to the fact that he is for our country and that’s what gives him satisfaction. My heart cries for my kids when they feel sad and miss the father’s presence on their birthdays, school annual day, sports day and important days in their lives.
On occasions like these I cook his favourite dishes and we miss him a little less.Gajar ka halwa being one of his favourite desserts and with the bright red carrots thronging the veggie market I decided to make a fusion dish with the carrots.After my cheesecake classes I had some cream cheese lying in the refrigerator and the idea of this unique cheesecake struck me.I made them in small tart moulds and a pie dish to give a different look to the no bake eggless cheesecake.The cheesecake pie turned out to be perfect and mind blowing with the unique flavour of gajar ka halwa ,a perfect fusion of the East and West and a keeper for sure .A little different from the usual chocolates and strawberries dominating the Valentines Day menu and that’s what makes it distinct from the rest.
Print Recipe
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Servings | Prep Time |
4 portion | 30 minutes |
Cook Time | Passive Time |
1 minutes | 5 minutes |
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- 1/2 kg carrots Fresh Red ,grated
- 1 milk lt full fat
- 1/2 tin Condensed Milk Sweetened
- 1/2 C sugar
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 2 tbsps Ghee butter / clarified
- dry fruits Chopped
- 3 oz whipping cream
- 4 1/2 oz cream cheese
- 2 tbsps sugar powdered
- pinch cardamom A powder
- 1 tbsp pistachios ,chopped
- For the Gajar ka Halwa
- Cook the grated carrots with the milk in a wok in medium flame, stirring in between till the milk dries up,takes around 30-40 minutes.
- Add the condensed milk and sugar and cook till it dries up again,for nearly 20 minutes.
- Add the Ghee ,dry fruits and cardamom powder and fry the halwa for 10-15 mins stirring constantly till the colour changes to a bright red colour .Fry till the consistency you want,I like mine a little dry.
- Switch off the flame.
- For the Pie Crust
- Add the melted butter to the ground biscuits and mix till well combined ,I use digestive biscuits
- Press into the bottom and sides of a 8 inch pie dish with a removable base uniformly
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes while you prepare the cheesecake
- For the Cheesecake
- Whip the whipping cream in a hand mixer for 3 minutes till it stands in soft peaks.Make sure the whipping cream is cold
- Add the cream cheese and sugar ( if needed)and mix with the cream with the mixer in low speed till incorporated
- Add the gajar ka halwa( room temperature)and cardamom powder and combine all with a spatula in the cut and fold method gently
- Pour the mixture into the pie dish and garnish with gajar ka halwa and chopped pistachios
- Return the dish back to the fridge and let it set overnight or for 5-6 hours
- Unmould from the pie dish and serve cut into slices
A happy Valentine's Day to all!!
Do take a look in my friend Parinaaz ' s blog A dollop of that!whats cooking for Valentines.She has a beautiful blog with mindblowing pics and mouthwatering recipes.
And Sweta's blog Oriyarasoi- a cosmopolitan Odiyas kitchen has lip smacking recipes of different cuisines from around the world but she specialises in authentic Odiya recipes.Do have a peep what's special for her Valentine.
loved the fusion of halwa and pie
loved the fusion combo of halwa and pie
It is tough to find knowledgeable individuals on this topic, but you sound like you are aware of what you’re talking about! Thanks
Lovely share n yummy treat
Hi, I really like your recipe and would like to try it but I had a few questions. Can you please let me know weather the milk amount is in liters or cup and when you say 1/2 a tin of condense milk of how much amount as very country will have different amount sold in each country. This will be a great help please. Thanks.
Hi Ekta…so sorry ..the amount of milk is in litres and the condensed milk found in India is a 400 gm tin so you have to use 200 gm. Will edit the recipe so that no one gets confused…thanks .