Sweet Potato Purée With Goat Cheese And Truffle Oil Recipes

Steps:

• Place a steamer insert or a mesh colander in a large pot and add enough water to reach the bottom of the steamer. Place the sweet potatoes in the steamer and bring the water to a boil. Cover the pot, lower the heat, and cook over simmering water for about 25 minutes, until very tender. Check occasionally to be sure the water doesn't boil away.
• Transfer the sweet potatoes to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer on low, slowly add the half-and-half, orange zest, orange juice, cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. With the mixer still on low, add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Taste for seasonings and mix until smooth. Serve hot.

Steps:

• Cook sweet potatoes in large saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain. Transfer sweet potatoes to processor. Add cheese and process just until mixture is smooth. Add butter and truffle oil. Process just until blended. Season puree with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Stir puree in large saucepan over medium heat until heated through. Transfer puree to bowl and serve.
• *Available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores and some supermarkets nationwide.

Steps:

• For the filling, bake, steam or microwave the potatoes, then roughly mash. Mix with the pumpkin seeds and goat's cheese.
• For the pasta, place the flour and a pinch of salt in a food processor and crack in the eggs. Pulse until mixture forms sticky-looking crumbs. Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface and bring together to form a firm dough. Knead for 5 mins until the dough feels smooth, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins. To make by hand, shape flour into a 'ring' on a work surface, crack eggs into the middle, then gradually work the flour into eggs using your fingers.
• Cut the pasta into quarters, then roll out each piece using a pasta machine. Dust with flour as you go and move it down a notch onto a thinner setting every second roll. Continue until you get to the penultimate setting. If you like your pasta very thin and delicate, you can go for the thinnest setting. If you don't have a machine, use a heavy rolling pin to roll the dough as thinly as possible.
• Stamp out rounds using a ravioli cutter or a 6cm biscuit cutter - work quickly so the pasta doesn't dry out. Lay the circles on a semolina-dusted surface and cover with cling film as you cut the rest.
• Place a small tsp of filling in the centre of each round. Dampen the edges with water, then sandwich another round on top. Use your fingertips to seal the edges, trying to expel all the air as you go. Lay the ravioli on a semolina-dusted tea towel to dry for a few mins.
• Cook ravioli in a large pan of gently boiling salted water for 4-5 mins. Do not use a full rolling boil as it is likely to make ravioli split. Drain, and serve with a little chilli oil, Parmesan and pumpkin seeds.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook the onions over a low heat for 20-25 mins or until well softened and lightly browned. Add the vinegar and cranberry sauce, and simmer for 5-10 mins more, stirring until almost all the liquid has disappeared. Leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, put the sweet potatoes in a bowl and toss with the remaining oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and the chilli flakes. Arrange on a baking tray and cook for 20 mins, turning halfway, until softened and lightly browned. Leave to cool.
• Reduce oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line two large baking trays with baking parchment and unroll the pastry sheets on top - trimming the edges neatly at this point will encourage a good rise. Leaving a 2cm gap around the edge, spread the onions over the pastry, then top with the sweet potatoes and goat's cheese. Brush the beaten egg around the border of the pastry and bake in the oven for 35-40 mins or until the pastry is golden and crisp, swapping the shelves after 20 mins.
• Scatter over the thyme, then cut each tart into quarters (or smaller pieces if serving more). Serve with a large leafy salad.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If you are using an aluminum baking sheet, cover the bottom with parchment paper or Silpat, so that the potatoes won't discolor and turn brown while baking. If you are using a ceramic or stainless-steel baking sheet, you don't need to cover the bottom. Slice each sweet potato in half, lengthwise, and place face down on the tray. Bake until they are soft, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
• Increase the heat in the oven to 400 degrees, place the pitted olives on a small baking sheet, and bake until they become hard and brittle, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• While the olives are baking, place a medium-size sauté pan with a heavy bottom over medium heat. Add the butter and brown it until it turns a hazelnut color and has a nutty fragrance, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the chopped shallots and allow to cook for about 3 minutes until translucent. Be careful not to burn the butter.
• When the sweet potatoes are cool, scoop out the insides and place in a bowl. Pour the butter and shallot mixture over the sweet potatoes, and mix. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, going lightly on the salt since the olives, which are added at the end, are salty. Place the sweet potato mix in a baking dish so that the sweet potatoes are one-inch thick. Spread the creamy goat cheese, in shallow dollops, over the sweet potatoes so that the sweet potatoes are clearly visible, at the edges and elsewhere. Bake at 400 degrees until the cheese and potatoes start to brown in some spots, about 15 minutes. The gratin won't brown like a traditional potato gratin; the colors of the sweet potatoes and the goat cheese will still be very present, but the goat cheese will turn beige, and the potatoes will begin to brown a bit.
• Once the olives are cool, chop them finely, and mix with the olive oil and the chopped basil. Spoon the olive mixture over the sweet potatoes and serve.

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position; heat to 425 degrees. Place potatoes on a foil-lined pan; bake 45 to 60 minutes, until tender. Peel when cool enough to handle.
• Puree with salt and pepper in a food processor. With motor running, gradually add milks through feeder tube, then butter. Process until silken. (Can make up to 2 days ahead; store in an airtight container.) Reheat and serve.