Incredibly Easy Homemade Bread

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 09:54:27 -0600

So this is, of course, made with my fresh ground grains :) and it is truly wonderful.

I got the recipe from our friend Lisa, who is an amazing baker and is chock full of scrumptious recipes. She has been grinding grains for a lot longer than I have so I knew I had to ask for some recipes and this is the one she said to start with.

It is unbelievably easy.

I can go from grinding the grains to having the dough rising in the pan in less than 15 minutes (especially now that I have the recipe memorized).

(makes 1 loaf)
Ingredients
1 tablespoon yeast
2 3/4 cups fresh ground whole winter wheat flour
1/2 cup fresh ground barley flour
1/4 cup gluten flour
1/4 cup oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 rounded tablespoon honey or maple syrup
2 tablespoons apple sauce
1 1/2 cups warm water
soft butter for brushing the pan

Preparation Instructions
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook (of course you CAN do this by hand but the mixer has been working great for me lately :), put all the ingredients in, in order. Turn on to medium and allow the mixer to knead the dough for you for about 3 minutes.

While the machine is kneading, brush soft butter into your bread pan with a pastry brush and set aside.

When the bread has been kneaded, grab the whole thing of dough and shape it, I usually just kind of pull it gently into the shape of the pan and then plop it in the pan and gently pull it the rest of the way to ‘fill’ the pan. Set in a warm spot, covered with a clean tea towel for about 20-30 minutes, don’t let it rise more than about 1/2” above the top of the pan. While it is rising preheat your oven to 330º.

Once the dough has risen remove the tea towel and place the bread in the oven. Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when you tap on the top.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes.

Remove the bread from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely, while it is still warm brush a little more soft butter all over the top.

Once cooled completely, it is ready to eat or you can store it in a plastic bag.

Onion Rings

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:37:30 -0600

Lot’s of fried food lately.....I’ll have to look into that...

Making onion rings were a random thought I had last night as Jeremiah was on his way home from the store with his beloved steaks. I had never made onions rings before, but I figured they couldn’t be all that difficult and that they would be good.

They weren’t difficult and they WERE good and I made them with my freshly ground wheat flour :)

But I am sure they would be equally delightful if you were to make them with regular flour.

Ingredients
1 cup cake flour or freshly ground whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup ginger-ale (or beer if you have it)
3 tablespoons vodka
2 large onions, thickly sliced (I used yellow since that’s what I had but sweet onions would be ideal)
oil for frying

Preparation Instructions
Combine all the ingredients except the onions and of course the oil, whisk until smooth.

Heat the oil to about 350º.

Separate the onions so you have rings and drop them one by one into the batter and stir around until coated.

Very carefully drop them into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about a minute. Remove to a plate covered with paper towels and serve hot!

Fresh tarter sauce or something would go nicely, but I didn’t have anything on hand and these were REALLY great without anything extra.

Mom’s Egg Rolls

Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:56:28 -0600

The other day I was shocked to realize that it has been ages since I made egg rolls. Why it has been so long I have no idea. But I am certainly glad I made them again finally because they were SO good.

I got this recipe from my mom when Jeremiah and I were first married and other than adding a couple vegetables, (to make them healthier?) I haven’t changed it at all.

I thought about it though, I always like to scout around on google for a bit and check things out, feel around, just to make sure I am getting the most bang for my buck if you will. I really didn’t find anything interesting though except one recipe had the title, “Egg Roll Recipe (from a real Chinese person!)”.

Hmmmmmm...........

Anyway, these are delish, I think I will try adding some sprouts next time, if you try them that way, let me know!

Ingredients
1/4 of a cabbage, shredded or thinly sliced
1/4 of an onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot shredded
1/2 cup broccoli, chopped
1 clove garlic
1/8 teaspoon ginger
4oz sausage
1 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/8 cup water
1 teaspoon corn starch
1 package egg roll wrappers
4 cups oil for frying

Preparation Instructions
In a large frying pan over medium high heat, fry the sausage until cooked through, remove and drain off fat.

Add the vegetables, ginger and garlic and fry until slightly softened, about 5-7 minutes.

Combine the soy sauce, water and cornstarch in a separate small bowl.

Add the sausage back into the pan and pour the soy sauce mixture over everything. Stir to coat everything and remove from heat and place in the fridge to cool.

Once cool, about 20-30 minutes, remove from fridge and set aside. Pour oil into a large saucepan or stockpot (or heat up the deep fryer). I did not have a thermometer that would go up high enough to check the oil temperature, but I usually heat it on medium high until it sizzles and spits when I drop a little something in there. Sorry.

While the oil is heating start rolling the egg rolls following the instructions on the back of the package.

Once the oil is hot and the rolls are rolled, start frying them in batches. I like to do four at a time because that is how many fits in my pot without crowding. Fry about 2-3 minutes or until deep golden brown, remove from oil and drain on paper towels while you fry the rest.

These suckers stay hot for a while so don’t worry about covering them while you are finishing up the frying.

Serve fresh from the fryer with soy sauce for dipping.

Bourbon Barbecue Sauce

Wed, 2 Mar 2011 14:18:57 -0700

I have been making my own barbecue sauce for a long time.

I have tried a lot of different recipes, including my grandmother’s (which is scrumptious indeed).

But this is my favorite.

It also seems to be the favorite of everyone I have served it too since I started making it.

It has this smokey, tangy, sweet combination of flavors just keeps you coming back for more.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1.5 cups Bourbon
1.5 cups red wine vinegar
1 1/4 cup molasses
2 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1.5 cups ketchup
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

Preparation Instructions
In a large sauce pan combine the allspice, cayenne, chili powder and dry mustard over low heat and toast the spices just for a couple of minutes, stirring and watching carefully so as not to burn them.

Turn the heat up to medium and add the bourbon, vinegar, molasses, brown sugar and ketchup. Cook and stir until it comes to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer for about 30 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon. You will want to put a splatter screen over it if you have one.

Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Once cooled add the lemon juice and liquid smoke.

Transfer to jars with lids - I like to use mason jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Adapted from: Nordstroms Friends and Family

Homemade Hamburger Buns

Tue, 1 Mar 2011 14:44:09 -0700

At some point I may go ahead add a bread section to this site, but for now I guess I’ll just stick this here. Even though it isn’t really a ‘side’. I am sure you get the point.

I am not sure why I thought to make hamburger buns, but it popped into my head about a split second after I realized I didn’t have any, I needed some and to acquire some I would have to traipse to the grocery with my 3 children after nap time.

For some reason I absolutely dislike going anywhere between nap time and dinner. I don’t know why, I just do.

I guess it makes me feel rushed.

So rather than break my own policy I decided it would be a good idea to try making them.

It was worth it.

Really they were very easy, I used my bread machine for the majority of it. Once the bread rises you just roll it out and cut out large rounds with a cookie cutter. Let it rise again and bake them.

Scrumptious.

(makes 10)
Ingredients
1/4 cups milk, slightly warmed
1 beaten egg
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups bread flour
1 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

Preparation Instructions
Combine all the ingredients in order listed in a bread machine. Turn to dough setting and start.

Once the machine is done and you have some fluffy dough in it, turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and roll out to about 1” thick. Cut out 3-4” rounds (whatever you have a cutter for) and place on a baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel and allow to rise for another hour.

Preheat oven to 350º and bake for about 9 minutes or until golden brown on top.

You can serve them just as they are hot out of the oven or brush with butter and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/homemade-hamburger-buns-bread-machine-80413#ixzz1FO4YCF2p

Sauteed Asparagus

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 13:56:03 -0700

My sister, Rachel and sister-in-law Amanda both make asparagus like this (or pretty close to it) and it is so good. This is the first time I have attempted to do it myself and lets just say, there wasn’t any left after dinner for me to snack on while doing dishes....

Ingredients
1lb fresh asparagus
1/4 cup butter
1 clove garlic, minced
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation Instructions
Snap the asparagus by holding each piece at the very ends and folding in half until it snaps. This will ensure you don’t get the woody end pieces as it will snap to where it is ripe.
In a medium saute pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and asparagus and saute about 5 minutes or until it is soft.
Sprinkle salt and pepper over the top and serve hot.

Individual Spinach and Parmesan Souffles

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:17:40 -0700

Mmmm, these were yummy. Well, Juliette and I thought so anyway. Jeremiah is of the opinion that certain things should be left as desserts, puff pastry, filo dough and souffles. He agreed they were good, but would rather have a souffle be sweet. That’s ok. Jules and I devoured ours. I got an official, “Eee-yish-us!” from Juliette, so you know it’s good. Plus not only did it taste really great with the Fennel Chicken I made, the timing worked out perfectly for the two dishes to be done at the same time.

I like that.

(serves 8)
Ingredients
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 9-to 10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 1/2 cups grated parmesan cheese
6 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 large egg whites

Preparation Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375º.

Butter 8 individual ramekins.

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until combined. Slowly add the buttermilk, stirring as you add it. Next stir in the spinach, cheese, egg yolks and salt and pepper. Stir until everything is all combined and set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into the spinach mixture.

Divide the mixture evenly between the 8 ramekins and place them on a baking sheet. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake until the souffles are puffed and golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Spinach-Parmesan-Souffles-362530#ixzz1EdPykKTu

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Rolls

Fri, 4 Feb 2011 14:30:13 -0700

These are light, airy and delicious and I couldn’t stop eating them and I am really looking forward to making with all whole wheat once I get my grain mill, rather than mixing with all-purpose!

Ingredients
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, plus more for brushing on the top
1/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
2 - 2 1/2cups whole wheat flour

Preparation Instructions
In a large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat, add the buttermilk and sugar and stir just until sugar dissolves, then remove from the heat. Sprinkle the yeast over the top and let set until foamy, about 10 minutes.

Add the eggs and two cups of the all-purpose flour and stir in a circular motion for 2 minutes or until the dough is fairly smooth. Allow to rest until it just starts to rise a bit, here at high altitude it took about 20 minutes, if you are not at high altitude you may want to plan more like 30-40 minutes.

Beat in the salt and whole wheat flour as far as you can, then sprinkle more of the whole wheat flour on a clean surface and turn the dough out of the pan. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour to the counter when necessary, about 2 minutes or less should do it. Spray a clean bowl with cooking spray or coat with olive oil and place the dough in it and cover with plastic wrap, place in a warm, draft free spot to rise until doubled. Mine, again at high altitude took an hour but if you are lower down plan for longer - I used to plan for 2 hours when I was at sea level.

Punch the dough down to remove any air bubbles and set aside for about 10 minutes while you prepare your baking dish. Which shouldn’t take you 10 minutes, but it’s something to do while you wait. All you have to do is smear butter all over a 9x13” baking dish or get a baking sheet out.

I like to just pull hunks of dough off the main ball and shape and stick it into the baking pan but if you prefer to cut it into 12 pieces, first, be my guest. Either way you will need to shape the rolls, so, basically you don’t want seams. So just find any seams or corners and kind of tuck them down underneath sort of like wrapping a piece of fabric around a ball, make it all smooth and then place, seam side down in the baking dish or sheet.

Cover with that plastic wrap again and allow to rise until doubled again. I like to preheat the oven while they are rising and put the rolls right next to the oven so they rise a little faster - especially if it’s winter. Usually about 15-20 minutes is all you need.

Bake at 375º for about 10-15 minutes or until they are nice and deep golden brown on top. Remove from the oven and brush with soft butter.

Serve piping hot with extra butter!

From my favorite cook book: A Romance With Baking by Karol Redfern Hamper

Cornbread Pudding

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:00:57 -0700

LOVED this. Loved. I mean it had heavy cream in it so what can I say?

I could have eaten the entire pan by myself.

I still probably ate more than I should have. BUT it was SO good!

It was sort if quiche-ey so I ate it for breakfast the next morning and felt like it fit right in with the morning. I am NOT normally the type to eat dinner foods for breakfast. Breakfast for dinner yes, but not the other way around.

(makes 6 huge servings)
Ingredients
For the cornbread:
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup grated pepper jack cheese
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup butter, melted

For the pudding:
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup thinly sliced onions
3/4 cup grated dry jack cheese
2 teaspoons chopped, fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped, fresh thyme
2 1/4 cups heavy cream
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation Instructions
First you have to make the cornbread of course. So, preheat the oven to 425º.
Butter an 8 inch square baking dish. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, pepper jack cheese and salt. Stir it around to coat the cheese so it doesn’t all sink to the bottom.

In another small bowl combine the eggs, milk and honey and then add to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined, then add the melted butter.

Pour into the prepared pan and bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 15-20 minutes.

Once the cornbread in cooled, slice into 1 inch chunks. You only need about 2 and 2/3 cups of the cornbread for the pudding so feel free to snack on the rest of it.

To make the pudding preheat the oven to 350º. Put the chunks of cornbread into a buttered 8 inch square dish in one layer. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a saute pan over low heat and cook the onions very slowly, stirring only once in a while so that they caramelize, cook for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle the onions, herbs and cheese over the cornbread.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the cream, eggs, salt and pepper and then pour over the cornbread. Allow it to sit for about 10 minutes to let the cornbread soak up some of the liquid.

Bake until set and golden, about 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Note: To reheat this I just popped it back in the oven the next morning for about 20 minutes and it was still scrumptious.

From: Seattle Kitchen by Tom Douglass

Goat Cheese Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Prosciutto

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 09:03:24 -0700

Ok, so when I made these yesterday I actually used bacon. But during the cooking process I decided prosciutto would have been much better. Mainly because to cook the bacon you have to bake it for a while and then some of the dates tasted a little burnt. The prosciutto would not require the long baking and thus would be much better. But the bacon was really good too...

Ingredients
4oz plain goat cheese
5-6 fresh basil leaves, finely minced
about 30 dates, pitted
12oz prosciutto

Preparation Instructions
In a small bowl combined the goat cheese and basil, set aside. With a sharp knife cut a slit down one side of each date and stuff with a tiny amount of the goat cheese mixture. Once you have done this with all the dates, wrap each with a little prosciutto and stick a toothpick through to hold it together and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350º about 4-5 minutes. Cool to room temperature and serve.

Baked Brie with Caramel Sauce

Tue, 25 Jan 2011 08:54:46 -0700

Um. Yum.

I cut the rind off cause I don’t really like eating it. But next time I will leave it on so the cheese stays put a little better. It was SO good though!

Ingredients
1 wheel of brie
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons water
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation Instructions
Wrap the brie in the sheet of puff pastry so it’s a nice little package. Bake at 375º for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile, combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves then bring to a boil and do not stir. Watch it closely and continue cooking until it turns a deep golden brown. Remove from heat and add heavy cream, stirring until combined.
Remove brie from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Move onto serving dish and cut into pieces and pour the caramel over the top. Serve hot.

Garlic Roasted Potatoes

Wed, 5 Jan 2011 08:02:55 -0700

This is pretty much my favorite potato recipe. I usually have to have Jeremiah take the bowl off the dinner table because I can’t stop eating them.

Ingredients
6 yukon gold potatoes, diced
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 400º then in a large pot, boil the potatoes for about 3-4 minutes. Drain and place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Use a garlic press to crush the garlic all over the potatoes, then sprinkle the olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary all over and toss until all the potatoes are coated. Place in the oven and roast until golden brown, tossing about every 10 minutes. They should take about 30 minutes to cook through. Serve hot.

Puff Pastry Bruschetta

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 16:51:06 -0700

Scrumptious.

That’s it.

Ingredients
1 box frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 container grape tomatoes, cut in half
6 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
fresh basil
olive oil
kosher salt

Preparation Instructions
Cut the puff pastry into 2x2 inch squares and place on a baking sheet. Place one tomato half on each square and a small slice of mozzarella. Bake at 375º for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and place a basil leaf on each one, serve warm.

Caramelized Sweet Potatoes

Tue, 7 Dec 2010 14:44:57 -0700

So easy, so good! Try these - you will like them! There really was not an orange flavor to them so if you want that I would advise adding more orange juice and less water or if you haven’t got any oranges don’t worry about it, just use water.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cut lengthwise, and each cut into 8 1/2-inch wedges
3 ounces freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup light-brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Zest of 1 orange

Preparation Instructions
In a large pan, melt the butter. Once melted add the potatoes and toss until coated in the butter. Pour in 1 cup water and the orange juice, cover and cook until soft. Add the sugars and salt and pepper, toss until coated and then let sit and cook until it caramelizes, tossing once in a while just to keep it from burning. Once the caramel is bubbly and thick, sprinkle with the orange zest and serve.

Serves 4

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Caramelized Sweet Potato Wedges - Martha Stewart Recipes

Peas with Toasted Almonds and Caramelized Shallots

Wed, 1 Dec 2010 13:11:56 -0700

OH yum. These were really good.

Ingredients
1/4 cup sliced almonds
3 tablespoons butter
2 shallots peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups peas, I used frozen
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preparation Instructions
In a dry pan toast the almonds over medium heat, stirring the whole time and watching carefully, they brown quickly. Remove from pan and set aside. Add butter to pan, once melted, add the shallots, cook until soft about a minute or two. Sprinkle sugar, salt and pepper over the top. Stir until the sugar is dissolved, reduce heat to medium-low and allow to caramelize for about 7-8 minutes without stirring. Meanwhile, steam the peas. Once everything is cooked, add the peas to the pan and toss so they get the buttery, caramel flavor. Serve hot!

Sweet Potato Gratin

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:44:25 -0700

I couldn’t stop eating this! I love, love, love sweet potatoes (unless they have marshmallows on top, ehck!) and combining them with cream and cheese and sage....mmmmmmmmm.

Ingredients
3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced
Butter for baking dish and foil
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped sage
1 minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon kosher salt
ground black pepper
1 cup grated swiss cheese

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 425º. Butter a baking dish, I like to use a pie plate and layer the potatoes inside. In a medium mixing bowl combine heavy cream, broth, sage, garlic, salt and pepper. Pour over the potatoes and sprinkle cheese over the top. Cover with buttered foil and bake for about 35 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Simple-Two-Potato-Gratin-236539#ixzz16niPOYCU

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese

Sun, 28 Nov 2010 20:59:15 -0700

We love this around here! The kids were extremely excited that I made it for lunch. I added a little diced ham to mine for a little more protein. This a rough estimate on quantities so you may have to play with it a bit.

Ingredients
2 cups large macaroni noodles
2 tablespoons butter
about a 1/4 cup flour, maybe a little less
1 1/2 cups of milk, more or less (I used goat milk)
pinch of salt
1 cup cheddar cheese again more or less (I like Tillamook sharp cheddar)

Sorry that’s just the way it is.

Boil water for the noodles, once it reaches a rolling boil add them and give them a stir. Melt the butter in another pot over medium heat. Once it’s all melted add the flour and stir until smooth, let cook for about a minute, stirring. Add a couple tablespoons of the milk, stir until thick then add a couple more tablespoons and stir again until thick. Continue like this until all the milk is incorporated and the sauce is thick and smooth. Add the cheese and stir until melted, add the salt. Once the noodles are done drain, mix with the sauce and serve.

Sweet Potato Risotto

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 10:54:03 -0700

I think I may be completely in love. Most of my family are not big risotto fans, but Christian and I love them and we sure enjoyed this - we both had second helpings!

Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
2/3 cup arborio rice or medium-grain rice
3 cups (approximately) low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dry Riesling wine
2/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation Instructions
In a frying pan melt 2 tablespoons butter, add sweet potatoes and onions, cover and cook, stirring regularly until potatoes are cooked and soft.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the rest of the butter. Once melted, add the rice and cook, stirring until slightly golden. Meanwhile in small saucepan, heat the chicken broth till boiling then remove from heat. Once the rice is golden in color add about 1/4 cup of the chicken broth, stirring until absorbed, continue the same way until all the broth has been used and the rice is slightly soft but still a bit crunchy. You may need to adjust the quantity of the broth. Add the wine, stirring until absorbed. Stir in the mascarpone until melted, season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with toasted walnuts and parsley.

Roasted Acorn Squash

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 20:32:40 -0700

I am pretty sure we all had seconds of this one! Even the kids loved it.

Ingredients
1 large acorn squash
1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces
brown sugar to taste

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 400º. Slice the squash in half, remove seeds and pulp. Place face down on baking sheet, cover with foil. Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes or until soft. Remove foil, flip over each half and roast another 15 minutes or until browned a little on top and the flesh is very soft. Remove from oven, put half of the butter in each half of the squash. Using a large spoon, mash the butter into the squash, scraping the flesh away from the skin, until the squash and butter and roughly mashed and combined. Put a scoop on each plate and sprinkle a little brown sugar over the top. Serve hot.

Savory Sweet Potato Souffle

Fri, 5 Nov 2010 08:40:01 -0600

I realize the picture isn’t very souffle-ee. This is because all my proper souffle ramekins are in the freezer with a different souffle in them ready to be eaten when sweet hunger strikes again. So in desperation I made a big one in a dish not really meant for souffles. It worked, it tasted great, it just wasn’t terribly pretty. But really, it was very good.

Ingredients
Serves 4
1 tablespoon butter, plus more for baking dishes
1/2 small onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup coarsely grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup Sweet potato puree
3 large eggs, separated

Directions
To make the Sweet Potato Puree:
Peel and dice 2 large sweet potatoes. Put in a medium sauce pan and cover with water. Boil until potatoes are soft. Drain water and put potatoes in a food processor. Run the processor until the potatoes are completely smooth.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter four 3/4-cup ramekins; set aside. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in flour; cook, stirring, 3 minutes.

Gradually whisk in milk; simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in 1/2 cup cheese and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Whisk in sweet-potato puree, then egg yolks, one at a time.

In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form. Whisk 1/4 of whites into cheese mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the rest.

Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour mixture into ramekins; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

Or pour into a large souffle dish and bake for about 30 minutes.

Read more at Marthastewart.com: Savory Sweet-Potato Souffles - Martha Stewart Recipes