Cream of Sweet Potato Soup With Roasted Garlic

Cream Of Sweet Potato Soup With Roasted Garlic

Serves 6..
2 1/2 T.. unsalted butter
1 cup diced yellow
onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup peeled diced carrot
1 1/2 tsp. mashed roasted garlic
2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch 
   cubes
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground allspice
1 small bay leaf
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1 T.. dark brown sugar
1 tsp. light molasses
1/2 tsp.. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
Chives for garnish

Directions:
Melt the butter in a heavy 3 quart saucepan over medium-high heat.. 

Add the onion, celery, carrot,, and garlic puree; cook for 3 minutes,  until vegetables are soft. 

Mix in the potatoes, cinnamon, nutmeg,, allspice, and bay leaf, and stir continuously for 2 to 3 minutes, until potatoes begin to soften and spices are aromatic.


Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Remove the bay leaf. Puree the soup using a hand held immersion blender, or blend in several batches in a blender. (If using a standard blender, place a folded dish towel over the top to prevent hot liquid from splashing out and blend in small batches.  Pulse on and off until the soup is smoothly pureed. 

Return the soup to the saucepan and whisk in the cream, brown sugar, molasses, salt, and pepper.. Serve hot sprinkled with chives.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH APPLES AND BACON Serves 6..
4 slices bacon,, cut crosswise into 1/4 - inch strips
1/4 cup chopped shallots 
 2 1/2 lb.. butternut squash (about 1 medium), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2 - inch dice (to yield about 6 cups) or use 3 bags already cubed squash 
1 small Granny Smith or other tart - sweet apple,, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 - inch dice (to yield about 1 cup)
1 tsp.. curry powder 
 1 tsp.. kosher salt 
 1/2 tsp.. freshly ground black pepper 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 T. chopped fresh thyme leaves

1. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot set over medium heat,, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally,, until crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.

2. Increase heat to medium high.. Add the shallots and squash to the pot with the bacon fat and cook until lightly browned, 4 minutes (resist the urge to stir it too often or it won’t brown).  
Stir in the apple, curry, salt, and pepper and cook for about 4 minutes.  Add the broth, scraping up any browned bits in the pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the squash and apples are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes.

3. Puree soup with an emersion blender until almost smooth. Stir in the thyme and half the bacon.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Reheat the soup and garnish each serving with the remaining bacon.

SPINACH SALAD WITH CRANBERRY VINAIGRETTE,, WALNUT PRALINE AND BLUE CHEESE Serves 8..
Spicy Walnut Praline::
1 cup lightly toasted walnuts,, finely
chopped
1 tsp.. salt
1/4 tsp.. cayenne or to taste
1/2 cup sugar

2 - 6 oz.. bags baby spinach
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup Danish blue cheese, crumbled



Cranberry Vinaigrette::
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
3 T.. raspberry vinegar
1 clove garlic,, pe eled
1 tsp.. minced shallots
1/2 tsp.. Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Cranberry juice cocktail
3 T. walnut or olive oil
1 T. honey
3 leaves fresh mint
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Salt to taste

1.. For Walnut Praline, toss together walnuts, salt and cayenne. In a dry small heavy nonstick skillet cook sugar over medium heat , without stirring, swirling pan until golden. Add walnut mixture and stir to coat nuts with caramel. Spoon praline onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cool. When cool, transfer to a cutting board and chop. Keeps 3 days.


2.. For vinaigrette, place cranberries, vinegar, garlic, shallots and mustard in food processor blender and pulse several times to coarsely chop. Add the cranberry juice, walnut or olive oil, honey and mint; blend until thin and smooth. With machine running slowly all vegetable oil in a steady thin stream and blend to form a slightly thickened and emulsified dressing. Season with salt..

3.. Place spinach and dried cranberries in a large salad bowl and toss with enough dressing to coat th e leaves well. Divide salad among serving plates and sprinkle with walnuts and blue cheese. Serve immediately.

Roasted Butternut Squash Spinach and Arugula Salad with Dried
Cranberries and Warm Cider Vinaigrette and Pumpernickel Toasts
Serves 8 to 10..
3 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and
diced ( 3/4 inch)
1 1/4 cups extra - virgin olive oil,
divided use
2 T. pure maple syrup
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups apple cider or apple juice
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup minced shallots
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
6 oz. baby spinach
4 oz. baby arugula
1 cup walnuts halves, toasted
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated Parmesan
4 to 5 slices Pumpernickel bread
6 T. unsalted butter, melted
Fleur de sel


1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the butternut squash with 1/4 cup olive oil, the maple syrup, 2 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. pepper in a large bowl . Transfer mixture to a parchment - lined baking sheet, spread out in a single layer. Roast the squash for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until tender. Add the dried cranberries to the pan for the last 5 minutes.


2. While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium - high heat. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about 1/4 cup. Off the heat, whisk in the mustard, 1 cup olive oil, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.


3.. For the Pumpernickel Toasts, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush bread slices with melted butter and sprinkle with salt. Cut bread in half on the diagonal and arrange on a baking sheet. Toast bread in oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until just toasted.


4. Place the spinach and arugula in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the walnuts, and the grated Parmesan. Spoon just enough vinaigrette over the salad to moisten and toss well.  Sprinkle with salt and pep per and serve immediately with a piece of the Pumpernickel Toast on 
the side.