Higher Level Palate Pleasers : Macaroni and Cheese

Everyone likes Mac(aroni) and Cheese or do they ? I find that I eat less and enjoy foods, especially this one, if I make it "differently". Why not take it to a different level with 3 cheeses? I found two that I would like and want to try.
Alex Guarnaschelli’s has a very good recipes that I saw on her own cooking show, The Cooking Loft, on the Food Channel. She also appears on other shows where she is a judge for American Iron Chef , Chopped etc). I love her manner and her show. I am sorry to say I could not make it to her restaurant in NYC when I was there recently but maybe someday.

Here's her rendition on a recent episode that I want to try. I did not want to wait to share it with you-all though.
Her restaurant is in New York City and someday I might be able to try it (its pricey though)
There is also another one below.

Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe courtesy Alex Guarnaschelli
Show: The Cooking Loft
Episode: Perfect Pasta
10 cups water
Kosher salt
3 cups elbow macaroni (preferably De Cecco brand, if available)
1 quart heavy cream
2 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed with the back of a knife
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 to 3 1/2 cups grated Gruyere
Freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/2 cup grated sharp Cheddar
Worcestershire sauce, to taste
Hot sauce, to taste
1/3 to 1/2 cup toasted bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot, bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the salt. Taste the water. It should be salty like sea water. Add the macaroni and stir, with a wooden spoon or large slotted spoon, to ensure the macaroni does not stick to the bottom of the pot as it cooks. Cook until the macaroni is still quite firm, 8 to 10 minutes.

Pour the macaroni and water into a strainer placed over the sink. Allow the water to drain out, reserving approximately 1 cup of the liquid.

In the same pot, bring the cream, garlic cloves, and the reserved cooking liquid to a simmer. Add the mustard and 3 cups of the Gruyere. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer gently, stirring constantly, until the cheese is melted and has integrated with the cream. Add the Parmesan and Cheddar. Stir with a wooden spoon and simmer again until smooth. Add a splash of Worcestershire and a splash of hot sauce. Stir to blend. Taste for seasoning.

Add the macaroni to the cream and stir gently to blend. Allow the macaroni to rest on the stove, 5 to 10 minutes, so the pasta absorbs the flavors. Remove and discard the garlic cloves.

Fill a baking dish with the macaroni mixture, top with the bread crumbs, the remaining Gruyere cheese and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until the bread crumbs crust on top. Serve immediately.


::
3-Cheese Macaroni and Cheese
Recipe courtesy Costa Vanikiotis at Eveready Diner, Hyde Park, NY
Show: Diners, Drive-ins and DivesEpisode: Local Legends
•
Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon salt, plus more for pasta water
• 1 pound large elbow macaroni
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound white Cheddar, shredded
• 4 ounces Romano, shredded
• 4 ounces Asiago, shredded
• 2 cups bread crumbs (suggested: panko (Japanese) available at most markets)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
In large pot filled with water add 3 pinches of salt and the macaroni and place over high heat. Bring to a boil and let cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, melt butter. Sprinkle flour over butter and cook 2 to 3 minutes on medium heat, whisking until a roux or paste forms. Add cold milk and whisk vigorously until dissolved. Cook sauce on medium-low heat until thick and bubbly. Add heavy cream, all cheeses, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper. Cook until cheeses are fully melted, stirring occasionally.
Add cooked macaroni to cheese mixture and mix thoroughly. Place macaroni mixture in a 13 by 9 baking dish and top with bread crumbs. Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Top with fresh parsley and serve.
For variations, add cooked lobster meat, truffle oil, bacon and/or garden fresh vegetables.
This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

Frontera Mexican : level above regular mexican fare

I'm always looking for interesting food. Sometimes my wife "beats me to the punch" and discovers a restaurant with her friends before I do. My wife and her group ate here. There are more and more Mexican restaurants building and many are little (local) franchises. This is one little chain that is expanding. My wife brought back part of the dinner to eat later and let me sample it. The spinach chicken enchilada had a nice creamy and cheesy sauce with it. Leafy spinach taste integrates well with the cheese. I liked that the side dish black beans weren't the usual bland tasting side dish. The black beans had a decidedly distinctive tangy onion flavor that I liked. The big black beans still have their shape. These are mixed with onions to give them the more unique taste. The fluffy rice was good too. This place has extra taste with the enchiladas and the distinctive black beans. The flavors that take a dish to the next level is what I look for so this place passes the test. We will try this place together and try the salsa. There is another one opening in Olathe so we shall see and I will let you know.

Life and eating is an adventure: We try Mandaranism, Overland Park , KS

For me life is an adventure. As a world traveler, eclipse chaser, stormchaser, tennis pro, a teacher who has traveled into the crater of Mt. St. Helens and more, I like an adventure and have always liked exploring. Food for me, is another adventure and way to explore. Unlike my wife, I seek every meal to be an adventure whether I am creating a recipe, eating in a restaurant or tasting or eating. I am always looking for something new, a different spice , a new taste, a new combination, different ingredients, a different restaurant, different, different, different. Somethings are the same whilc something are the same but "different".

While we will journey to China (our first time) in July 2009 for the eclipse and will experience much more in Beijing and Shanghai and around in the ways of foods and culture , I am not waiting to find evenmore aboutt classical and different Chinese and Asian fare. I keep exploring with recipes but I find to find and try new restaurants now. One new place that I have wanted to try since I heard about is one of the new places in Kansas City called Mandaranism. A local newspaper and local buzz says this place is "hot" and does a whole new spin on Chinese and Mandarin food.

I really love Thai and Asian food and also like Chinese. However there are too many mediocre Chinese places that are frankly not worth it except " to stuff you face (so to speak)". But when I needed to pick a place to meet my former business partner and his wife for a final get together before they leave for good (to Tucson), I wanted to choose some place that they would impress them. His wife worked at The American and they both have eaten at some of the best places in Lawrence and around Kansas City and the US. I thought they would like this place and we would have a nice time and we would all explore a new restaurant. And I did pick a good place for all of us.

Those who want Chinese can go to a mega buffet with lots of people, moderate to higher amounts of noise, and dozens of entrees to choose from at lower prices. My friends don't go to these places and for the most part such places are not my wife's preference either ( to see the ones I do try and don't like , see my other reviews). Basicallyy, I was looking for Good Price for the Buck $$$, Ambiance , Food that is a Level Above Ordinary (Chinese) Fare and good Service. And for the most part Mandarinism won.

We came in around 2:30 pm. My friends did not arrive until later so we started looking over the menu. The place had subdued tones and was nice looking. It was not noisy at all even with this post lunch and happy hour time crowd. Most were here for the happy hour prices and getting together. There is a selections of wines, specialty drinks, beers etc. But we were aiming for the food. The menu is good but not extensive. A few chicken, beef, fish dishes are here (we wish there were more). More trended in the area of pork, shellfish, shrimp or combination. I had heard that this place did not have Crab Rangoon but it was on the menu. However it did not seem to be any different . There was soup of the day but no Chinese soup staples as in hot and sour soup or egg drop soup. I did not see any "specials of the day". I wish the waitress had asked what she thought was good. But I had " done my homework" and new what items were the some of the best to try anyway.

We could either choose from the lunch menu or the Happy Hour menu. I was not sure if I could get the lunch menu beyond 3:00 pm so I immediately ordered one of their signature items, the Orange Beef for lunch. It took a little while to figure out that one can still order off the lunch menu even though it is beyond "lunch time". The waitress said we could still order off the lunch menu and would come after our friends arrived with their meal. Just wanted to make sure.

My wife ordered the lunch special with Panko Chicken sandwich (without the bread ). This came with the green slaw and sweet potato fries. Thin slices and nicely fried with Panko crumbs it was good. The green slaw had tiny crisp slivers of cabbage that had a slight lemony flavor. The fries were short, thin and baked with Panko crumbs. This side dish were good but not great (I had tasted them at other Asian restaurants and made my own). It possibly needed salt. What was really missing to make this dish great for a side for an entree or with happy hour was a Asian, wasabi, a spicy ketchup or some some sort of condiment. She and I did not think to order something if something was available. It would have been good if the waitress asked it we wanted ketchup or something but I was too busy checking out the other entreess that did not need condiments.

The soup that came with the lunch, had nice tiny white rectangle pieces of tofu, with small pieces of carrots, mushrooms in a clear type broth which had no real distinctive flavor. Still it was good on this very cold day. I gave one of my small vegetarian spring rolls to my wife to nosh on. They were unremarkable. Crunchy but hard to decipher what kind of vegetables were in them (and I was not about to dig in to one of the pieces to find out).

I had heard about this restaurant's signature dish "Orange Beef" which actually uses sun dried tomato. When I heard about this when I checked out the menu, weeks before, I thought that this dish in itself should " raise the bar of the dish". I had actually made a Orange sun dried tomato version of this but with chicken and it was quite good so I was anticipating the flavor. The beef was smothered thin chunks of beef which were first coated (Panko?), fried and then had the orange sun dried sauce poured with it or over it with little thin strips of red and green peppers. This made for a nice combination. I could taste the hint of sun dried tomato with the orange flavor. It was not the fantastic dish I thought it would be, but it was good. The fluffy rice had a slightly nutty flavor had bits of fried egg and little carrots. These " little attention to detail " did not go unnoticed.

My friends had Jasmin tea which came with very nice tea ceramic pots. The hot water goes through the top which has the tea in it, you remove the top part and drink the tea with the bottom part. Cute and effective. Then their beef buns arrived.

I was very impressed. They did not come like a "whole bun with meat inside". Instead three of the "buns" came on a rectangle like dish with a dipping gravy type sauce. Each of the "buns" was a half like portion of the bun which were pretty big in size. Each had beef inside, spring onions and a mild sauce. My friends enjoyed the buns and thought it was cute and well set up. My wife and I tried one. We both liked the different, meaty flavor in the bun and the sauce had a little "twang" to it.

By that time, more people were coming in for the happy hour. However the place still was quite enough so that we could "kibbitz" and talk over life and time, kids stuff and more. We passed on the desserts but took some photos instead.

This place is nice but you might have to check for directions first as it is "tucked " away from the main road. More people have been finding this place or going out of their way to find it and try the different Chinese food that Mandarinism has for you. The menu is a little limited but what they have is quite good. If you prefer a place which has much more abundant food for the price and " the same old stuff ", then this might not be the place for you. The prices are reasonable, the food is different had well presented, the ambiancee is very good and we had a good time. So this place met all my criteria for today. I like this place and could see coming here again. If we want an Chinese or Asian meal next time, we will have to think about some other dishes we can try like the duck buns or some other entree. There is enough here to keep us coming back!

Guy Fieri Green Slaw

This was an interesting coleslow. I did not use the sprouts.

Guy Fieri
Green Slaw


Ingredients
For the dressing:

* 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
* 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
* 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
* 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
* 1 teaspoon seeded and minced serrano pepper
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the slaw:

* 3 cups napa cabbage, cut in 1/2 vertically, cored, curly middle discarded, cut horizontally in 1/4-inch thick pieces
* 1 medium Granny Smith apple, julienned
* 1 cup peeled and julienned jicama
* 2 cups fresh bean sprouts
* 1 tablespoon minced green onion, white and light green part only
* 1/4 cup golden raisins
* 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

To make dressing: In a blender, puree all the ingredients until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine ingredients for slaw. Gently fold in the dressing. Refrigerate 1 hour. Gently toss before serving.

You be the judge: Cheddar Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

I scour the Food Network for interesting recipes . When I see one I want to try I see if there are any review that people have left regarding whether it was good or bad. This recipe is had the most yeyyys or neysss that I have ever seen. Most are either great or say the recipe is terrible. The comments are really intersting too. You be the judge and let me know if you try it and I will let you know what I think.
Supposedly it might be better to use less half and half

Cheddar Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
From Food Network Kitchens
Show: How To Boil Water
Episode: Mid-week Know How
3 large sweet potatoes
2 to 3 cups half-and-half
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups grated sharp Cheddar
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into bits, plus extra for dish

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel potatoes and cut diagonally into 1/4-inch thick slices.

In a saucepan combine 3 cups of the half-and-half, garlic, freshly grated nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil over moderate heat.

Butter a 1 1/2 quart oval gratin dish, layer potatoes and cheese (reserving 1/4 cup of the cheese for the topping) and pour the cream mixture over the potatoes. Sprinkle the top of the gratin with the reserved cheese and dot with the butter. Transfer the gratin to the oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until bubbling and golden. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Good but could be better
12/17/2006 at 10:15am
User: Melissa from Mingoville, PA User Rating: [3 stars]
3 cups 1/2 and 1/2 was too much, next time I'll back off to 2 cups - not all liquid fit into my casserole dish plus it was too liquidy even after sitting for 5-10 minutes before serving. While the flavor was good, it was VERY mild. I'll try to experiment in ways to ramp up with flavor of the sweet potato....perhaps add a little brown sugar and slightly less cheese?



Wonderful!
11/26/2005 at 08:34pm
User: Rhonda from Midland, TX User Rating: [5 stars]
It was great. My husband loves sweet potatoes and this will now be a traditional holiday favorite of his.



a nice change on a regular scalloped potatoes
11/25/2005 at 01:38am
User: Ava from south san francisco, CA User Rating: [5 stars]
this scalloped sweet potato recipe was a nice change for the regular scalloped potatoes that my aunt laura makes. some of my family members love it but not all of them. thank Ty TY



Bad, Really Bad
11/05/2005 at 01:22pm
User: MEECHI from Lindenhurst, IL User Rating: [1 star]
I should have read the reviews first. This wasn't worth the time or money. It wasn't creamy like they said it would be on the show. I threw mine away too. What a waste.



Very Disappointing
10/24/2005 at 11:51am
User: Robin from Stony Point, NY User Rating: [1 star]
My husband and I really enjoyed watching this episode. The sweet potato dish looked sooo yummy, but what a big disappointment. The 1/2 & 1/2 currdled and looked so gross, and the sweet potatoes were far from sweet. The kids were not to happy that we ruined their usually yummy sweet potatoes. No wonder why they didn't spoon some of this dish onto their plates!



sucks
10/21/2005 at 03:30pm
User: Anonymous User Rating: [1 star]
This recipe sucks. I made it last night for my daughter and after the first bite we had to throw it all away.



Curdled Cream
10/20/2005 at 07:24pm
User: Anonymous User Rating: [2 stars]
This is a very tasty dish, however the cream curdled while baking. We got past the cottage cheese look and enjoyed it anyway. Glad I wasn't serving this to guests. Next time I will use milk,flour, and butter, like Mom used to do.



sounded better than it was
10/17/2005 at 09:00pm
User: Dena from ST PETERS, MO User Rating: [2 stars]
I followed the recipe to the letter. The half and half curtled in the casserole and it lacked flavor.



Horrible recipe
10/16/2005 at 09:17pm
User: kirsten from ponte vedra, FL User Rating: [1 star]
This was the worst recipe that I have ever made and I was sooo disappointed in it. Tyler made it look so easy even though I was hesitant about the cooking time and my instincts were right. I even cut the liquid in half and it was still a runny curdled mess. Definitely not up to Tyler's normal standards. I wish that I had read the reviews ahead of time!!



Think about it....
10/16/2005 at 11:07am
User: James from Alexandria Twp., NJ User Rating: [4 stars]
I just saw the show and then read the scathing reviews. I'm going to bet there is a mistake with the printed recipe. Based upon other scalloped potato recipes, this probably should have said "2/3 cup of half-and-half". I'll let you know.



So Good!
10/13/2005 at 12:25am
User: KAREN from Lancaster, CA User Rating: [5 stars]
We loved this as an alternative to the traditional!



yuk!
10/11/2005 at 10:47am
User: janice from warrenton, MO User Rating: [1 star]
half and half curdled. Yuk. I served this for a dinner party and was embarassed.



Absolutely AWFUL Dish!!!
10/02/2005 at 11:11pm
User: DIANNE from wethersfield, CT User Rating: [1 star]
I, like many other viewers, was sooooo excited to try this recipe. I prepared a special turkey dinner tonight for my family and I tried this as an experiment for the holidays, and I'm so glad I tested this before actually entertaining with it! My kids were so gracious and appreciative of my efforts, but no one went NEAR this one! It was a curdled, YUCKY mess, not to mention an incredible waste of money! DON'T TRY THIS ONE. It's a disappointment, and I normally trust Tyler's recipes, as I've LOVED them! I'm so bummed! YUCK!!!

Hot Stuff: Cookbook in praise of the piquant - book has great recipes

I bought this book in paperback after 1985 (copyright 1985). This tiny book has 307 pages and a nice index. It was a small book then but now is a hardcover. But I really like many of the recipes. This author, Jessica B. Brown knows here stuff.
Recently I tried

a Morrocan dish called Saalouk Salad. Easy to make I made the dish which has has eggplant (I used Japanese long eggplants which my wife found were less bitter then regular eggplants ; garlic salt, paprika, tomatoes, and red hot chilies (I used red pepper flakes). It normally used zucchini but I left those out. Nice dish, not to fussy to make at and has a nice flavor and little kick to it. Great side dish.
PS if you want the full recipe contact me and I will post it on the blog for everyone

http://www.amazon.ca/Hot-Stuff-Cookbook-Praise-Piquant/dp/0689114834

Quinoa- Never heard of it- is an ancient food

I found out about Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah). " It is an ancient food that is not yet well known in North America. It has been cultivated in South American Andes since at least 3,000 B.C. and has been a staple food of millions of native inhabitants. The ancient Incas called quinoa the "mother grain" and revered it as sacred."
more interesting information at
http://chetday.com/quinoa.html

I found and tried this recipe (below) and it was quite good with beef ribs. But you can use it with anything. Make sure to rinse it well first. I cooked it quite well because if done , the center of the grain disappears and they appear as tiny "little quarter moons".

Curried Quinoa Recipe
Serves Six to Eight
1 Cup Quinoa
11⁄2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil
1⁄2 Onion Diced (about 4 or 5 ozs.)
1 Tsp. Grated Fresh Ginger Root
1⁄2 Fresh Green Chile (Finely Chopped)
1 Heaping Tsp. Turmeric
1 Heaping Tsp. Coriander
1⁄4 Tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1⁄2 Tsp. Salt
13⁄4 Cups Water
1⁄2 Cup Fresh or Frozen Peas

1. Rinse quinoa with cold water. Use a fine mesh filter or coffee filter. If you're a klutz like me use the fine mesh filter or a lot of quinoa is going to wind up in the sink!

Quinoa is coated with a natural substance called saponin that protects the grain by repelling insects and birds. Rinsing the quinoa is important to avoid a raw or bitter taste. You can tell if there is saponin by the production of a soapy looking "suds" when the seeds are swished in water.

Good news! If you are using Ancient Harvest Quinoa you can skip this step. It's already rinsed!

2. Place oil and diced onions in a heavy saucepan. Saute the onions on medium high heat for four to five minutes.

3. Add the ginger root, chile, and quinoa. Cook for one minute stirring constantly.
A fine, white spiral appears around the grain as it cooks.

4. Stir in the turmeric, coriander, cinnamon, and salt. Cook for one minute stirring constantly.

5. Add the water and bring it to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Stir in peas. Cover and cook for four or five minutes or until peas are tender and all the water has been absorbed.

7. Fluff with a fork before serving.

Scroll down this page for optional ingredients...

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Optional Ingredient for Curried Quinoa: 1 to 2 Tbsp. Chopped Cilantro. Exercise caution on this ingredient. There are two kinds of people - those who love cilantro and those who hate cilantro. Nobody is in between. So, if you know you like cilantro go for it! If you don't know whether you like it add it at your own risk. You might break some leaves off of fresh cilantro in the grocery store. Crush it between your thumb and finger and smell it. If it smells good you're probably a cilantro lover. If it smells like old gym shoes you probably hate it. My advice? Make the curried quinoa without it and see how you like it. If you do wind up adding cilantro, you add it at the very end when you're fluffing the quinoa with a fork.
Curried Quinoa serving suggestion: This dish is great with pork tenderloin and peach salsa. It's also great with fish.

You don't have to be Jewish to eat and love Latkes (potato pancakes)

Enjoy
Eric Flescher


Hannukah starts tonight. You don't have to be Jewish to eat and love Latkes (potato pancakes) Eat lots of Latkes (potato pancakes) .
Try Potato Latkes recipes & different awesome Sweet Potato latkes!!!

"Fried food is traditionally eaten on Hanukkah in commemoration of the oil that miraculously burned for 8 days when the Maccabees purified and rededicated the holy Temple in Jerusalem. Fried Potato Pancakes (called Latkes in Yiddish and Levivot in Hebrew) are the holiday favorite."
Great as meal, side or appetizer or snake.
Best with sugar, sour cream or apple sauces.

http://kosherfood.about.com/

http://kosherfood.about.com/od/latkespotatopancakes/Latkes_Potato_Pancakes.htm

Sweet Potato Pancakes Recipe courtesy of Joseph's
Show: $40 a Day
Episode: Charleston, SC


1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoons cinnamon
Pinch nutmeg
2 cups milk
4 teaspoons melted butter, plus more for greasing skillet
2 whole eggs
1 sweet potato, cooked until tender, peeled and pureed
Pecan butter, recipe follows
Maple syrup, for serving

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix together and whisk until
smooth. Cook batches in buttered skillet on medium high temperature
until bubbles form on the surface, then turn over and cook until dark
golden brown. Serve with pecan butter and maple syrup.

Pecan Butter:
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans toasted and cooled
1/2 pound butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey

Mix all ingredients together (use rubber gloves). Roll in parchment
paper and freeze. Cut into slices and top sweet potato pancakes.
Yield: 10 servings

**
Sweet Potato Pancakes with Spiced Pecans and Peach Butter Recipe
courtesy Tupelo Honey Cafe
Show: $40 a Day
Episode: Asheville, NC





2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 cups buttermilk
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large sweet potato, roasted and cooled
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Spiced Pecans, recipe follows
Peach Butter, recipe follows


In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, sugar, baking soda, and
baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs,
and melted butter, and then add this to the dry mixture. Peel and mash
the sweet potato, place it in a bowl, and then add the honey, cinnamon,
and nutmeg and mix it well. Add this mixture into the pancake batter.
Let the batter stand for 1 hour (or you can make it a day ahead of
time).
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add batter by the ladleful and cook
the pancakes, in batches, until golden brown on each side. Serve
immediately with Spiced Pecans and Peach Butter.



Spiced Pecans:
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 tablespoon tupelo honey
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt


Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add all the ingredients and
cook until the pecans are lightly brown and caramelized, about 8 to 10
minutes. Remove from heat, cool, and store in an airtight container.
Yield: about 1 cup



Peach Butter:
1/2 cup peaches, peeled and diced
1/2 pound butter, softened
1/4 cup brown sugar
Pinch sea salt




In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well until smooth.
Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to serve.
Yield: about 1 1/2 cups


This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down
from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens
chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and
therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results

***
Sweet Potato Cake Recipe

Related Categories:
--Sweet Potato Pancake Recipes
--Sweet Potato Pie Recipes


Ingredients:
2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup pecan halves
1 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon maple extract


Turn this recipe into a puzzle! [click]

Directions:

Cook potatoes until tender. Drain. Place in mixing bowl and mash
slightly. In another bowl, combine eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon.


Beat until light. Add to mashed sweet potatoes.

Generously grease 9-inch round cake pan. Arrange pecan halves on bottom
and sprinkle brown sugar over nuts. In small pan melt butter and add
maple extract. Pour over brown s
ugar layer. Do not stir. pack potatoes
over top. Cover with foil. Bake in 350 degree oven 1 hour or until done.
Knife inserted should come out clean. Invert onto plate and serve.

***
Sweet Potato Pancakes curry
SUBMITTED BY: Eric

"This is an alternative to the traditional potato pancake. Sweet potato
pancakes, exotically spiced with cinnamon, curry powder and cumin. Great
for Thanksgiving."

PREP TIME 15 Min
COOK TIME 30 Min
READY IN 45 Min
SERVINGS & SCALING
Original recipe yield: 15 pancakes
US METRIC

About scaling and conversions

INGREDIENTS
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil for frying
1/2 cup milk


READ REVIEWS (3)

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DIRECTIONS
Shred the sweet potatoes, and place in a colander to drain for about 10
minutes. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, white
sugar, brown sugar, curry powder and cumin. Make a well in the center,
and pour in eggs and milk. Stir until all of the dry ingredients have
been absorbed. Stir in sweet potatoes.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Drop the potato
mixture by spoonfuls into the oil, and flatten with the back of the
spoon. Fry until golden on both sides, flipping only once. If they are
browning too fast, reduce the heat to medium. Remove from the oil, and
keep warm while the other pancakes are frying.

**
Traditional Hanukkah Latkas - Potato Pancakes (Parve)
From Giora Shimoni,
Your Guide to Kosher Food.
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Fried food is traditionally eaten on Hanukkah in commemoration of the
oil that miraculously burned for eight days when the Maccabees purified
and rededicated the holy Temple in Jerusalem. Fried Potato Pancakes
(called Latkes in Yiddish and Levivot in Hebrew) are the hands-down,
mouth-open holiday favorite.
INGREDIENTS:
5 potatoes
2 onions
3 eggs
2-4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
oil for frying (canola is recommended)
PREPARATION:
1. Peel potatoes. Place in a bowl of cold water so they won’t turn
brown.
2. When ready to prepare the latkas, drain the potatoes. Place potatoes
and onions in a food processor fitted with a knife blade.
Pulse until smooth. Drain mixture.
3. Pour potato mixture into a large bowl. Add beaten eggs. Add flour.
Add salt and pepper.
4. Pour 1 inch of oil into a large, deep frying pan. Heat the oil over
medium-high heat.
5. Carefully drop 1/4 cup of the potato mixture into the hot oil.
6. Flatten the pancake slightly so the center will cook.
7. Fry for several minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked
through.
8. Drain on paper towels.

SERVING SUGGESTION: Serve the latkes with applesauce.
User Reviews

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

Vanilla?, November 30, 2007

By EmilyFife
(read all my reviews)
"I reread this recipe a couple of times, and see vanilla in the list of
ingredients, but not in the preparation. I've never added vanilla to my
potato pancakes, and was wondering if this was a mistake? I didn't add
the vanilla, and the recipe was great. One of our all time favorite
comfort foods, at any time of year!"

Sweet Potato Pancakes nutmeg
From Diana Rattray,
Your Guide to Southern Food.
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INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/4 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
PREPARATION:
Sift dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Combine remaining ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring just until dry ingredients are moistened. Drop by tablespoons onto hot greased griddle or skillet and fry, turning once, until browned on both sides.
Makes about 24 pancakes.