Organic Baby Sweet Potato Biscuits

Today is my two year blog-iversary, pointed out to me by blogging friend, Louise, of the recently ended, much lamented, Months of Edible Celebrations blog. Two years is a LOT of recipes. Not to worry, though, I have enough cookbooks to build a bunker, with the remaining left to shelve and read. But despite this overabundance of cooking tomes, I still find breakfast the most difficult meal of the day. I'm not much for cold cereal (unless it's my homemade granola), or packaged convenience foods (with the occasional exception), and I generally want something warm and soothing. Isn't that the best way to start a day? Soothed?

This morning my eyes fell on this package of baby sweet potatoes. 

Now, what have I told you about packaged foods? Turn them over, there is usually a tasty recipe on the back. 

Sweet potato biscuits were featured on this package and it sounded like a suitable way to begin a chilly morning. Sweet potato biscuits are unique among the usual baking soda or yeast-raised biscuits. They are moist, dense, flavorful, and spicy, and the perfect base for that maple butter that I made last week. 

This recipe is an easy one, employing the use of Bisquick. I'm a spicy person, so added the following spices into the dry ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon mace
1/8 teaspoon cardamom

I also cut mine cut with a 3" biscuit cutter and baked them about 20-23 minutes. 

Organic Baby Sweet Potato Biscuits
Servings: 6-8

1 pkg. Melissa's Organic Baby Sweet Potatoes
1 cup light brown sugar
1//4 cup water
2-1/4 cups Bisquick

Boil Melissa's Organic Sweet Potatoes until fork tender (this took me about 20 minutes once the water came to a boil).  Cool and peel sweet potatoes; mash with a fork. While potatoes are boiling, mix the dry ingredients together (and additional spices, if desired). Add water and mashed sweet potatoes and mix well. (I used my hands for this.)  Mixture will be more moist than the standard biscuit dough. Flour cutting board. Turn dough onto board, flatten with hands and roll to 3/4" thickness. Cut with a 2-3" round cutter. Place on greased baking pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 18-23 minutes. Serve hot with sweet butter and honey. 

What a great taste of fall!

This post is linked to:

Foodie Friday

Sweets for a Saturday

Seasonal Sunday

Brandy and Orange-Mashed Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups

I have newly come to love sweet potatoes.  As a kid I never liked them because they were orange…and potatoes…and that was just wrong.  As an adult I steered clear of them because of those rather frightening looking casseroles studded with miniature marshmallows that, I swear, looked like eyes.  I don’t care for food that looks back at me.  Then I saw Emeril make these sweet potato filled orange cups and had to try them.  Making these has become something of a fall tradition ever since.  I did change up his recipe a bit, adding orange zest and doubling the amount of Brandy (Oh, yeah!). 

Brandy and Orange-Mashed Sweet Potatoes in Orange Cups

Adapted from a recipe by Emeril Lagasse

 To make filling:

7 large Melissa's organic sweet potatoes, about 3 pounds

4 large oranges

1 stick butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

3 large eggs

3/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup brandy

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon salt

To make topping:

½ cup brown sugar

½  cup chopped pecans

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let rest until just cool enough to handle.

Lower the oven to 350 degrees F.

Make the orange cups by cutting the oranges in half and scooping out the pulp, leaving only the shell. Set aside. I find this amazingly easy to do by using an Electric Citrus Juicer.  If you don’t have one of these, get one.  It is money well spent.  These juicers can absolutely get the very last drop of juice out of any piece of citrus and leave you with an almost pristine shell.

While still somewhat hot, peel the potatoes and place in a large bowl. Discard the skins and tough, stringy fibers. Add the butter, and with an electric mixer, beat out the lumps. Add the sugar, eggs, orange juice, heavy cream, and brandy, and mix until smooth. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and mix well. Re-season, to taste.

Spoon the sweet potato mixture into the orange cups, mounding and smoothing the top.

Mix together topping ingredients and put a generous dollop on top of each potato.

Bake until puffed and slightly golden, about 20 minutes.

NOTE:  Both mixture and orange cups can be made a day ahead.  Store them in separate containers and refrigerate until ready to use.

This post is linked to:

Totally Tasty Tuesdays

Try a New Recipe Tuesday

Individual Yellow Flesh Sweet Potato Purée with Streusel Topping

When I say the words, “sweet potatoes” what comes to mind?  Autumn? Fall?  Thanksgiving?  Harvest?  Orange?  This is just the type of parochial thinking that I’m going to attempt to change.  Sweet potatoes are not just for the cool months.  Healthy and delicious, there is a yellow variety that is just perfect for summer.  The sunny yellow color just begs for inclusion at picnics and cookouts; their mildly sweet taste and creamy texture pair perfectly with ribs, sausage, ham, pork, or anything else that you can manage to slather with sauce and toss onto the grill.

These individual servings will delight guests both young and old at your next summer buffet and my guess is that you will both surprise and delight everyone who tries them.

Individual Yellow Flesh Sweet Potato Purée with Streusel Topping

2½ pounds Melissa's yellow-flesh sweet potatoes 
¼ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, softened

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Butter 4 8-ounce ramekins.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Pierce each potato 2-3 times with a sharp-tined fork and transfer potatoes to baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 50-60 minutes, depending upon the size of each potato. Cool until easy enough to handle.

While potatoes are baking, make the streusel:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

Pinch cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Rub mixture between fingertips until blended and crumbly. Set aside.

When potatoes have cooled to a working temperature, halve them lengthwise and scoop out flesh, placing in a separate, medium-sized bowl. Stir in the ¼ cup brown sugar and the ¼ cup butter and mash with potato masher until smooth and creamy.  If mixture is too thick, thin with 1-2 tablespoons of milk. Using an ice cream scoop (or large spoon), spoon mixture into ramekins.  Sprinkle streusel over potatoes. Bake until golden brown, about 25-30 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

This post is linked to:

Seasonal Sunday

On the Menu Monday

Wow Us Wednesday

Sweet Potato Pecan Bread

I have been cooking and baking up a storm ever since the month began.  I think I've hit upon the PERFECT cranberry sauce recipe this year -- a new one, so I'm excited about that.  And I've been test-baking things for the bread tray that overflows every year on Thanksgiving Day. 

Since I grow my own sweet potatoes I always like to include a dish or two using them.  While we're on the subject, let me encourage all of you to grow these.  I use containers as I'm an avid patio gardener since it's the only place in our yard that gets a decent amount of sun.  You'll need to buy slips (or grow your own, but buying them is so much easier and gobs faster) and plant them in late June.  I used three square 14" containers that were easy to handle come harvest time.  I simply dragged them into the yard, turned them upside down, dumped out the dirt, and then scooped up the potatoes.



Here's the harvest from just one of the containers I grew.  It's well worth it for the fun and the excitement of the harvest (not to mention the fresher than fresh taste!)



I was in the mood for something sweet today so chose this recipe for Sweet Potato Pecan Bread.  I cut it in half in order to make just one loaf, but once I tasted it I was sorry I hadn't made two.

Redolent with sweet potatoes and pecans, this moist loaf would make a great beginning or ending to any day. Here's the recipe:

SWEET POTATO PECAN BREAD

2 1/3 cups sugar

2/3 cup water

2/3 cup oil

4 eggs, beaten

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes

(fresh is best but canned will do)

3 1/2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

Glaze*

 

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine the sugar, water, oil, eggs, and sweet potatoes mix good. Add dry ingredients and mix to combine; add pecans and mix well. Divide the dough into 2 greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Cool in pans before removing.

Source: Southern Chef in Louisiana





*The original recipe did not call for a glaze, but I thought it enhanced the loaf so I added my own:

1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 T. cream

1/8 t. cinnamon

1/8 t. freshly grated nutmeg

Stir together until thoroughly blended and drizzle onto cooled loaf.