Carrot & Pecan Brownie Topped with Lemon Curd

 Half a lemon each, a spoon in hand and the sugar jar in our lap.  Sitting on the trampoline on a warm summers day is a distinct memory of my cousin and I many moons ago.  Two girls.  Footloose and fancy free.  The warm breeze in our hair. Chatting about everything and nothing.  Our dreams, our friends, the big issues.  All the time in the world.  A sprinkling of sugar, a taste of the sweet juice, another sprinkling of sugar, and on it would go!  Where did that time go?

I love love love lemons!  Lemon juice, lemon water, lemon cake, lemon slice.
Lemon lifts.  Lemon builds.  Lemon cuts through sweet and salty.  Lemon adds another dimension.



Lemon curd is such a beautiful thing.  And yet, before the Thermomix entered my kitchen, I rarely made it.  Now, of course, almost cruelly, the TMX makes it for me in just 7 minutes without me needing to do more than throwing the few ingredients into the bowl.  It is such an impressive thing to serve up, whether it be in a pie, tart, roulade, or even slapped on piece of warm brioche, lemon curd always creates a 'wow', and yet the effort is minimal.

So making some last week from the lemons off my friends mums old lemon tree, I had the jar sitting in the fridge and I wondered what could be done with it next (to save my spoon diving in uncontrollably every time I passed the fridge!).  The combination of the subtle sweetness of a carrot, earthiness of the pecan and tartness of the lemon curd came to mind, and so this brownie was born!  I've tried to keep it pretty light on the sugar whilst packing it with carrot and pecans.  You be the judge.  Did I nail it?

Enjoy....

Carrot & Pecan Brownie topped with Lemon Curd

Ingredients

400g carrots, roughly chopped (or grated if no TMX or food processor)
130g pecans (finely chopped if no TMX or food processor)
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed (100g) rapadura sugar (or another substitute)
1 1/2c (190g) gluten free self-raising flour
1/2 c (90g) oil
1 c lemon curd (recipe in EDC recipe book although I always double the lemon juice qty!)

Method - Conventional

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.  Line a slice tin with baking paper.
2. If using a hand held blender and bowl, place all ingredients except lemon curd in a large bowl and blend for 1 minute on medium-high setting, until well blended and slightly lighter in colour.  If using a food processor, add carrot chunks and pecans in bowl and blend until finely chopped.  Add remaining ingredients and blend for 1 minute, scraping down the bowl if required.
3. Pour mixture into lined tin, spread evenly and bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through.
4. Leave to cool for 5 minutes and then spread 1/2 cup lemon curd evenly over brownie.  Leave to cool.
5. Before serving, spread another 1/2 cup lemon curd evenly over the brownie and slice.  Top with chopped toasted pecan nuts if desired.

Method - Thermomix

1.  Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius.  Line a slice tin with baking paper. 
2. Place carrot chunks and pecans in TM bowl.  Process on speed 6 for 10 seconds.
3. Add remaining ingredients, except lemon curd, and blend for 1 minute on speed 5.
4. Follow steps 3-5 above.

Carrot & Pecan brownie topped with Lemon Curd