Carrot Souffle To Craft our Own Passover Feast

Moving away from family has many unexpected ripple effects, like turning my kids into airport security professionals. They could practically give seminars on speedy shoe collection techniques and toys that weigh the least yet pack the most fun. But as much as we make the effort to go back East for holidays, there's many we've had to miss and had to celebrate on our own. Passover falls on a weekday this year, and for the second year in a row, we're celebrating it without Mimi and GrandDad, forced to grow up and develop our own set of traditions in our new home.

We'll be celebrating the first two nights of Passover with friends, the first night at our house with an elaborate scavenger hunt throughout the house for clues to the history of Passover. Last year in Columbus, I made my own chopped liver but this year, I found both chopped liver and gefilte fish loaves at Fox and Obel, so I spent my time preparing mains and desserts.

My favorite Thanksgiving side gets a makeover for Passover.

I adapt my favorite Thanksgiving side, Carrot Souffle, for Passover. It's so light and sweet and it complements the heavy brisket perfectly along with some creamy mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. The brisket is bubbling along nicely downstairs as I type, sending delicious smells wafting through the house. I'm trying Smitten Kitchen's Brisket for the first time and it looks very promising. We'll miss our family in this snowy new home, but the warm smells spreading through the house are doing an amazing job of making this feel like a very special feast.

Carrot Souffle
Active Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
2 lbs fresh carrots boiled until soft
6 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
6 TBSPs Matzo Meal
2 TSP vanilla extract
2 sticks melted unsalted butter
Dash of Nutmeg
For the topping:
12 TBSPs dark brown sugar
8 TBSPs melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup crushed Matzo

1. Put cooked carrots and eggs into large food processor and puree until smooth. 
2. Add the sugar, matzo meal, vanilla, and melted butter. Process until smooth. Be careful, in my food processor, this brings the mixture completely to the top and sometimes a little seeps out.
3. Bake in greased 9”x13” pyrex pan at 350°F for 40 minutes.
4. Mix the topping ingredients together. Put the topping mixture over top of baked soufflé. If you're traveling for your seder, or preparing this dish ahead of time, stop here. Just cover it with some foil and put it in the fridge. 
5. To finish the dish and get it ready to serve, bake it for another 5 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Serve hot. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days and can be reheated in the microwave.