Freezer Honey, Pecan and Beet Cheesecake Pie

I haven’t posted a dessert recipe in what has felt like FOREVER, so to me this is long overdue! I have been meaning to craft up a beet dessert recipe for quite awhile, but couldn’t decide on what exactly I wanted to make. The idea for a beet dessert came from a beet cake I had last summer in a small microbrewery. My boyfriend and I ordered it from the menu because it was unique and we were blown away by how good it was! Not too sweet and you could still taste the essence of the beets without it being overpowering. For two beet lovers like us, this was incredibly delicious! I ended up combining that idea with a dessert my Mom would always make during the summer – a cheese pie topped with fresh fruit! It always had a graham cracker crust and creamy filling – decadent and savory all at the same time. This recipe took some trial and error trying to figure out the best way to serve the pie. At first, I refrigerated it for 24 hours and still found it had a mousse like consistency and was a bit runny when cutting to serve. So, I tried freezing it after seeing a number of “freezer cheesecake” recipes out there and found that was the perfect consistency for it! So, if you’re in the mood for something unique, tasty and refreshing, I would give this recipe a try. Thank you Taproot Farm for the beautiful organic beets (I am still obsessing over the final color!)!

Instructions:

1. For the pie crust: Combine the vanilla graham crackers, pecans and coconut oil in a food processor and process until smooth and combined. Lightly grease your tart pan with a dab of coconut oil and then pour this mixture into your pan. Use a tart tamper to press the crust into the base (make it compact, because it is a thick crust). You can also use your hands to do this if you don’t have a tart tamper.
2. For the pie filling: Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, whip the heavy cream until medium peaks form, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. In your blender, combine the pecan honey cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, honey, cooked beets, and vanilla extract. Blend until everything is smooth and combined.
4. Pour this mixture into your whipped cream mixture and gently combine (I used an icing spatula to do this). I did up and down circular motions to combine everything.
5. For assembly: Pour this into your tart pan and smooth.
6. Top with decorations of choice.
7. Cover and stick in your freezer for 2 to 4 hours until firm.
8. Slice and enjoy! 🙂