Creamy Garlic Potatoes

Creamy Garlic Potatoes
mashed potatoes (even leftover will do)
butter
minced garlic
sliced green onions, optional
salt
pepper
cream

Place the potatoes with some butter in a pan and heat until the butter melts. Stir in all the seasonings Then add cream, a little at a time, until the mixture becomes smooth, the cream reduces and gets absorbed into the potatoes, the potatoes are piping hot, and the mixture is a thin, very smooth and creamy consistency. 

This is not like mashed potatoes but rather a "pommes puree". More like a sauce than a starch. They should not be runny but similar to any other vegetable puree.

Carrot Puree Two

Now, if you would prefer a different kind of carrot puree, look no further. This carrot puree follows the exact same recipe and procedure as Carrot Puree One in yesterday's post, the only difference being the flavors added in at the end. 

This carrot puree is definitely much lighter in color. As soon as a little bit of acid and butter are added, this lightens the color. To make a lighter carrot puree, add an acid for tanginess (any type of vinegar or citrus juice), a fat for richness (whole butter, browned butter, flavored oil, or cream), some sweetness (white sugar is best to retain the light color), spices (white pepper, paprika, garlic, onion, etc.) and salt.

Carrot Puree is pictured here with Sliced Seared Duck Breast, Grilled Asparagus, Duck Jus, Parmesan Gnocchi, and Microgreens.

The carrot puree I made here has white wine vinegar, whole butter, heavy cream, white pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt. I just add these in when pureeing. This created an awesome tasting carrot puree that a few people told me was reminiscent of ketchup but much better. The white wine vinegar added a nice sweetness to balance the richness of the butter and cream. This carrot puree is also delicious hot or cold or by the spoonful.

Carrot Puree One

Over the past three months, I have made carrot puree at least seven times, and each time I liked it better than the last version. The secret to a really great carrot puree is to take a stack of carrots (they can be the biggest, ugliest carrots if you wish), peel them, trim off the ends and divide them into two piles. Juice one pile, and roughly chop the other pile. Aim to juice almost twice as many carrots as you chop. It doesn't really matter how roughly they are chopped as that's the beauty of a puree. 

Now cook the carrots in their own juice in a pot. Try to choose a size that allows the carrots to be completely submerged in the juice. Top it up with a tiny bit of water if desired. Bring to a boil and cook the carrots until nearly all the juice is gone - you want the pot to go almost dry so the carrots will begin to caramelize and sweeten. If preferred, you can cut the carrots smaller so they cook more quickly and retain more of the juice for pureeing. Puree the carrots, adding just as much water as needed to form a smooth puree (Vitamix or other high power blenders are AWESOME for this).

Carrot Puree is pictured here with Seared Squid Tube, Butter Poached Lobster Tail, Lobster Claw and Chive Salad, Charred Brussels Sprout Petals, Pickled Shallots, and Grapefruit Beurre Blanc.

 If you would like a dark, vibrant, heavier carrot puree that really highlights the flavor of the carrots, simply add water, salt, ground white pepper, and granulated sugar as needed to achieve the desired taste and consistency. You may not want to add any sugar at all, or you may prefer to use sugar syrup or maple syrup, and in this case, use less water. White pepper is the key so you don't see little specks in the puree and it really, really, highlights the flavor so be generous and create a nice peppered carrot puree. The final step is to pass the puree through a chinois to create the optimal, smooth texture.

This puree is great reheated (bring to a gentle boil), cold, or thinned out a bit more, it would make a great base fir a soup. I eat it by the spoonful like caramel sauce.

Thanksgiving Dinner Canapés

Thanksgiving Dinner Canapés
caramelized red onion biscuits
butternut squash purée (or alternately sweet potato purée)
cranberry chutney/sauce (chunky, whole berry, not jelly and preferably homemade)
pickles

I baked my own vegan biscuits, adding in caramelized red onions to the dough for more flavor. I put my purée in a piping bag fitted with a star tip and piped a swirl onto each biscuit. Then I topped with a dollop of cranberry chutney, and cut my pickles into little half-moon shapes for a garnish.

I think this canapé is quite colorful and something different - more rustic ingredients presented in an elegant way. They were very much appreciated. The flavors balanced very well together - the purée and onions were sweet, the biscuit and pickle salty, the chutney tart, and the pickle acidic. Someone told me the pickle absolutely makes the canapé. I got inspiration for this hors d'oeuvre from Thanksgiving dinner ingredients.

Soft Food Diet

Sometimes, certain texture-oriented diets are needed for health or other reasons. In my case, I will soon be having dental surgery, after which I doubt I will be able to eat many hard foods. I won't have to be on a complete liquid diet, but more a diet of purées and soft foods. Obviously, this is not ideal for a long period of time, a budding chef, or someone who enjoys crunchy and chewy foods. But I don't mind too much, because I don't think I will be on this diet for too long, and there are a variety of delicious foods that are soft, and some purées can be made delicious. I've already composed a list of foods I will be able to eat so I will have some ideas to build some balanced meals and buy some groceries. Obviously, almost anything can be puréed, but that doesn't necessarily mean it should be. Here are just a few ideas in case any of you find yourselves in a similar situation.

Fruits: mashed banana, applesauce, avocado, puréed frozen berries.
Vegetables: mashed potato, sweet potato, squash, pumpkin, mashed carrots, leafy green purées.
Dairy: milk, yogurt, ice cream, pudding, soft cheese (cream cheese, ricotta, cottage cheese).
Protein: soft tofu, scrambled eggs, nut butters, hummus, bean purées, soft fish.
Grains: hot cereal, oatmeal, soft polenta, soft bread, French toast, crackers or cereal in milk, creamy rice, risotto, grits, dumplings, bread pudding, pancakes.
Meals: soup, smoothies, chili, soft pasta, fondue.
Desserts: chocolate, frosting, truffles, panna cotta, jelly, custard, dips, cookie dough.

This will be my diet in a few days, but before then, I'll be sharing something really cool tomorrow! 

Pumpkin

Well, squash season is here, Halloween is approaching, and pumpkins are beginning to appear all around! 

I love pumpkin! 

Here are some recipe and cooking ideas featuring pumpkins.

• Pumpkins are great fun to carve, stencil, decorate, or paint for Halloween. The big pumpkins that are sold for decorating purposes are not great for eating. The flesh is much too tough and stringy, but the seeds are perfectly fine for roasting and eating.
• The tiny pumpkins sold under names such as "pie pumpkins" and "sugar pumpkins" are good for eating. The flesh is much softer and smoother, and can be prepared just like any other squash. Fresh, cooked pumpkin can be used in both savoury and sweet dishes.
• Pumpkin can be microwaved, baked, boiled, broiled, grilled, steamed, fried, or sauteed. It can be chopped and incorporated into a variety of casseroles, soups, and stir-fries. It can also be used in sauces, gnocchi, risottos, and quiches.
• Cooked and pureed pumpkin is equivalent to canned pumpkin puree (pure canned pumpkin that is, some canned pumpkin contains other squashes or spices as well). It is a bit more work to use fresh pumpkin rather than just opening a can, but for some recipes the fresh taste is completely worth it.
• Pumpkin puree is excellent in a variety of baked goods. It adds nutrients and keeps things moist without lending a strong flavour. Pumpkin puree can be used in breads, muffins, cookies, cakes, biscuits, squares, pies, and loaves.
• Fresh pumpkins may be stored in a cool, dry place for a month or two. Cooked, pureed pumpkin can be frozen in airtight containers for future use.
• Pumpkin goes extremely well with raisins, chocolate chips, nuts, herbs, and spices.
• My favourite ways to use pumpkin are: pumpkin chocolate chip loaf, pumpkin pie squares, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and pumpkin with pasta.

PHOTO CREDIT: "untitled." http://mommygoesgreen.com/2009/10/pumpkin-recycling/. Pumpkin Recycling, n.d. Monday, October 3, 2011