Carrot "Souffle" Casserole ~ Adapted From The Famed Piccadilly Southern Cafeteria!

This "souffle" has been floating around my recipes-to-be-made file for a while.  Shame on me, because all this time we've been missing out of this fantastic dish!  It's an excellent imitation of a very popular side dish from the famed Piccadilly Southern cafeteria.  I think it's actually a little lighter than the restaurant's version; and, naturally, I've done my "spin" on it.

Delightfully sweet, it's similar to a sweet potato "souffle"...making it a wonderful addition to your holiday meals.  We all love our leftovers on Thanksgiving, and this is a good one for sneaking a little cold from the fridge.  (Don't tell anyone, but I love it, warm or cold, with a nice dollop of whipped cream...you know me and my cream toppings!)

                               Have Your Dessert Before Your Entree?...

                                               Why Not with It!                                    



As adapted from Food.com Piccadilly's Carrot Souffle (submitted by coconutcream)

Serves approx. 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. carrots, cleaned, peeled and cut into approx. 1" pieces (or keep it easy & use packaged baby carrots, which have already been cleaned and peeled)
• approx. 1/2 tsp. salt (for boiling the carrots)
• 6 TB salted butter
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 c. presifted flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 c. granulated white sugar
• 2 TB packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• approx. 1/16 tsp. (pinch) of ground mace
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• Butter-flavored cooking spray (for baking dish)
• Powdered sugar (for garnish..optional)

                                       Yes, That's My Fork Going In....

                                              Don't Tell Anyone!

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Place the carrots into a 2 qt. saucepan and cover with cold water.  Add the salt and boil the carrots until fork tender (approx. 20-30 minutes).
3. Drain the carrots and place into a food processor.  Add the butter and process until the butter is melted.  Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth.
4. Lightly coat a 1 3/4 qt. casserole dish with the butter-flavored cooking spray.  Pour the processed mixture into the casserole dish and bake for approximately 1 hr., or until a knife inserted into the center comes out almost clean and the casserole is firm.  (The casserole does rise when baked, but settles a little after cooled.)
5. Cool approximately 15-20 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.  Right before you serve, sift a little powdered sugar over the top of the casserole for garnish (optional).

Tip
The original author advised that she normally doubled the recipe and baked in a 9"x13" pan.  (Sounds like a good idea, but I've not tried it yet.)

This "souffle" will have your kids loving carrots, and you'll be enjoying it over and over again!  (Hmmm, maybe it should be doubled!)

Printable Recipe