Recipe: Sweet Potato Soup with Matchstick Fries and Frizzled Leeks

From Denny: We love our sweet potatoes here in Louisiana! From Canada.com comes yet another way to enjoy our beloved sweet potato in a gourmet soup. There is a recipe converter link listed after the posting area on this blog in case you are not familiar with the Canadian version of measurements.

Sweet Potato Soup with Matchstick Fries and Frizzled Leeks

This recipe comes from Chuck's Day Off show.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

The Sweet Potato Soup

3 large sweet potatoes, cut in chunks

3 leeks, roughly chopped

Pinch of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

Nub of butter

6 cups (1.5 L) chicken stock

1 big knuckle of fresh ginger (about 1 tablespoon / 15 mL) peeled and grated)

2 cups water (500 mL)

Peel and quarter the sweet potatoes.

Wash leeks well and drain, remove any damaged outside peel, remove the hairy white tips from the end, and cut leeks into one-inch slices (leave one three-inch section aside to be fried later for the garnish).

Soften leeks in a large pot with a nub of butter, the salt and pepper. Do not brown.

Add six cups of stock or water

Add sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and boil until cooked through - just softer than fork tender. Using an immersion blender, purée the ingredients until they are thoroughly blended.

Add the grated ginger, and test for consistency. If too thick, add a bit more water. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper as needed. Place in a bowl and garnish with a mound of hot crispy matchstick potatoes and frizzled leeks.


Matchstick Fries and Frizzled Leeks

2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (or another medium-starch potato)

Canola oil for frying

A sprinkle of salt, pepper

3-inch (8-cm) piece of leek, julienned

A dusting of potato starch

Peel and cut potatoes into matchstick slices.

Rinse them under cold water in a strainer to remove excess starch. Let drain well. Pat dry. In a deep fryer set at 350 degrees F (180C), fry for three to five minutes submerged in canola oil until a nice, deep golden brown. Drain on a paper towel or absorbent cloth. Hit them with a sprinkle of salt and pepper right away.

Cut strips of leek into julienne slices similar to potato. In a small bowl, place two tablespoons of starch and lightly dust the leek pieces in it to help prevent burning. Fry the three-inch strips of leek in same oil until they are just golden - about one minute, to make "frizzled leeks."

Add to your bowl of matchstick fries. Mix them together. Garnish in a little mound on top of the soup.

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Chuck's Day Off airs on the Food Network on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. For more information on Chuck Hughes's TV show and for more recipes, go to: www.foodtv.ca/chucksdayoff

For previous columns and recipes, go to www.montrealgazette.com/life and click on Food & Wine

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

Recipe: Chocolate Charlotte

From Denny: When we used to live in Atlanta we often dined our way across the metro area and still didn't get to sample all the goodies - so many great choices! The local newspaper now carries a lot of these wonderful and sometimes classic recipes from the famous local restaurants as the one for today.

From the recipe page: The Chocolate Charlotte “has been on the menu since the day we opened in 1981, and it’s always in our top five desserts,” said owner Karen Bremer. “It’s truly decadent.”

As good as the restaurant version is, the home version may be even better. At the restaurant, the mousse filling requires some gelatin to withstand the rigors of a dessert case, but at home, where the charlotte will rest quietly in your fridge, no gelatin is necessary. The result: “It’s actually a little bit lighter and fluffier,” Bremer said. - Deborah Geering, The Journal-Constitution

NOTE: If you are worried about the uncooked eggs in this dessert, you can use pasteurized, though you will have to beat the egg whites a long time to make them stiff.

Chocolate Charlotte

From: Dailey's Restaurant
17 Andrew Young International Blvd.
Atlanta, Georgia
Phone: 404-681-3303

Hands on time: 30 minutes

Total time: 5 hours

Serves: 16

Ingredients:

1 family-size (about 18 ounces) package brownie mix, plus the ingredients listed in the instructions

2 (12-ounce) packages semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup strong coffee

4 eggs, separated

4 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided

2 cups whipping cream, divided

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan, line the bottom with parchment paper, and then grease the parchment paper.

Prepare the brownie mix according to the package directions. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the brownies are done but not crispy. Remove from the oven and cool about 15 minutes. Invert the square pan of brownies onto a cutting surface. Slice a 1-inch strip from one end, then cut the remaining brownies into 3 long strips (they’ll each be about 2 1/2 inches wide). Press the 3 wide brownie strips along the inside edge of the springform pan to form a ring. Use a piece of the 1-inch wide strip to fill in the gap. Using kitchen shears, trim the top edge of brownies flush with the top of the pan.

In a microwave-safe dish, melt the chocolate chips and coffee on 50 percent power for 1 minute. Stir, then repeat in 30-second intervals until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Beat the yolks and stir in the chocolate mixture.

With an electric mixer, beat the egg whites with 3 tablespoons sugar until stiff peaks form. Fold into the chocolate mixture. In the same bowl as used for the eggs, beat 1 1/4 cups whipping cream until it holds its shape. Fold into the chocolate mixture. Spoon the chocolate mousse filling into the brownie shell and smooth the top. Chill until firm, at least 4 hours.

Before serving, whip the remaining 3/4 cup cream with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar until soft peaks form. Remove the sides from the springform pan. Serve the charlotte with the whipped cream.

Notes: Total time includes at least 4 hours of chilling time.

Nutrition:

Per serving: 525 calories (percent of calories from fat, 56), 6 grams protein, 56 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 35 grams fat (17 grams saturated), 120 milligrams cholesterol, 139 milligrams sodium.

Funny Chocolate Cartoons!

From our friends over at the high-toned The New Yorker magazine come funny chocolate cartoons! They don't have embedding enabled and use links to go to their site. These are just 20 second shorts and very amusing!

Lover's Leap, go here.

Chocolate Easter Bunnies, go here.


Photo by heliosphan @ flickr

Recipe: Cajun Ya Ya Salmon

From Denny: Found at EveningEdge.com is this wonderful Cajun styled fish recipe! I'm a huge fan of wild-raised salmon like you can get over at Whole Foods. Soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic are all perfect flavors for salmon cooking. The unusual dressing sounds unique to go with the fish. Give it a try!

Ya Ya Salmon

From: Gumbeaux's Cajun Cafe in Douglasville, Georgia

"Ya Ya Salmon is the creation of chef Richard Paul-Dennis, has been featured on TV cooking shows. Incidentally, Ya Ya in Cajun means a young, aspiring artist. In the old days, young tap dancers were called Ya Yas. It is also the chef's nickname."

Hands on time: 20 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon red pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon creole seasoning

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup granulated sugar

4 (7- or 8-ounce) boneless salmon steaks (about 1 1/2 inches thick)

For the Red Hot Sesame Onion Dressing:

1 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped green onion

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

2 tablespoons red vinegar

3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3 tablespoons dark sesame oil

4 teaspoons black (or white) sesame seeds

Instructions:

Mix red pepper, black pepper, creole seasoning, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and sugar. Coat salmon fillets with the spice mixture and set aside.

To make the Red Hot Sesame Onion Dressing: In the bowl of a food processor, place brown sugar, green, red and yellow onions, vinegar, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Process 3 to 4 minutes. With the motor running, slowly add sesame oil.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare grill. Grill salmon long enough (about 5 minutes) to leave grill marks. Transfer salmon to an ovenproof pan. Pour 1 1/2 cups onion dressing over salmon and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake in oven 25 to 30 minutes, or until onion dressing bubbles and thickens.

Notes:

Recipe tester Sara Levy notes that though it might seem that there is a lot of pepper and hot spices in this recipe, the sugar in the rub and sauce tempers it to the point where it has just enough bite without being overwhelmed by heat. She says that it is "very flavorful."

Nutrition:

Per serving: 526 calories, 41 grams protein, 19 grams fat (percent calories from fat, 33), 46 grams carbohydrates, 109 milligrams cholesterol, 539 milligrams sodium, 1 gram fiber.


From Denny: Since grilling season is almost upon us here is a wonderful post and recipe from a lady who is used to doing ahead and making in bulk! AND she has some great organizing ideas on all kinds of unusual subjects you might not have thought about - until now.

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• Quadruple Batch of Teriyaki Marinade (1-2-3getorganized.blogspot.com)

Recipes: Super snacks from the South

From Denny: Found these outstanding recipes over at Canada.com. They were featured as Southern-style snacks for the Super Bowl game. The Canadians have a good pulse on Southern food, what a pleasant surprise!

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Baked Peel-and-Eat Shrimp With Tequila and Lime
(In Louisiana we call them Oven Barbeque Shrimp and this looks like a good Florida style version.)

You could put all the ingredients for the flavoured butter into the pot, and set the shrimp in the baking dish an hour or two before serving and keep them in the fridge. When ready to serve, melt the butter as described in the recipe, pour over the shrimp and bake.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10-12 minutes

Makes: 6 (4 shrimp or prawn) servings

1/4 cup butter

2 oz. tequila

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tsp grated lime zest

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp honey

1-2 tsp hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

24 large shrimp or prawns, shell on

salt to taste

lime slices for garnish (optional)

Place the first 7 ingredients in a small pot and set over medium heat. Cook until the butter is melted and well combined with the other ingredients. Set the shrimp or prawns in a single layer in a baking dish. Pour the butter mixture over them. Preheat the oven to 425* F. Let the shrimp or prawns marinate in the butter mixture at room temperature 10 minutes. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until just cooked through. Arrange on a serving plate, sprinkle with salt, garnish with lime slices, if desired, and serve.

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Chimichurri Wings

Be sure to serve these finger-licking good wings with plenty of napkins.

Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus marinating time

Cooking time: 25-25 minutes

Makes: 24 wings

1 cup packed fresh parsley sprigs

1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1-2 tsp hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco

24 chicken wingettes or drumettes, or a mix of both (see Note)

salt to taste

lime slices for garnish (optional)

Place the first 9 ingredients in a food processor and pulse until sauce-like.

Spoon the mixture into a medium-sized bowl. Add the wings and toss to coat. Cover and marinate the wings in the fridge for 4 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 425* F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Arrange the wings on the baking sheet in a single layer. Using a teaspoon, spoon the chimichurri mixture left in the bowl over the wings.

Season each wing with salt. Bake 25-30 minutes, depending on the size of the wing, or until cooked through. Arrange the wings on a serving plate, garnish with lime slices, if desired, and serve.

Note: Chicken wingettes are the thin portion of the wing before the tip.

Drumettes are the meatier portion that attach to the breast. You'll find chicken wings in these forms at most supermarkets. If you can't, you'll have to split the wings yourself.

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Chicken and Poblano Chili Pizzas

You can make these pizzas oven-ready early in the day. Refridgerate and bake when needed. Deep- green coloured, poblano peppers are mildly spicy and have a richer flavour than green bell peppers.

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 8-10 minutes (per tray of pizza)

Makes: 6-8 servings, 1/2 or 3/4 pizza servings

4 pocketless, Greek-style pita

3/4 cup barbecue sauce

2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese

1/2 store-bought rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat pulled into shreds

1 small, fresh poblano chili, finely diced

Preheat the oven to 425* F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Set 2 pita bread on each baking sheet. Spread the top of the pita with the barbecue sauce. Top the pizzas with the cheese. Arrange the chicken on top of the cheese; sprinkle with the diced poblano peppers. Bake the pizzas, one tray at a time, 8-10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the bottom of the pizza is crispy. Cut pizzas into small wedges and serve.

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service