Sorry for the looooong abscence... I was certainly gone longer then I'd ever dreamed I would be. Unfortunately, illness, website problems, a new job, and yes, even a Disney trip kept me pretty occupied. Of course the illness and website problems were kind of miserable, but I wish I could say that new jobs and Disney trips were my legitimate excuses for falling behind in life. Usually it's a combination of children, an inability to be on time, and sheer laziness that present special challenges for me... But that's a different topic for a different blog!
While I was at Disney, not only did I have an utterly awesome, amazing time (people, the new Fantasyland looks awesome. Seriously.), but I came back with a new cookbook focused on Disney holidays and seasons. Turned out that was a better-than-anticipated addition to my library, as I also brought back a monstrous cold that, 10 days later, is still making me miserable. As a result of my cold and my longing for Disney, I seem to crave a steady supply of Disney-related, seasonably appropriate comfort food that requires little-to-no effort to prepare on my part, something this cookbook has in abundance.
Ironically, the first recipe I pulled from this cookbook actually wasn't all that easy to prepare (or should I say, it was easy, but it was time consuming), but because it has it's roots in one of the best places to eat at Disney, Artist Point, I had to make it. Sometimes nostalgia and an overwhelming desire to eat well trumps convenience.
I'm ashamed to admit that I've only had gnocchi once in my life, at Le Cellier actually, and while I liked it, I'm basically clueless on how to make it. I get the principle behind this potato-based dumpling, and I know it's a favorite to prepare on shows like "Top Chef," and I know it's an "in" food right now, however, that food trend has yet to hit our area of New Hampshire. Such is the fate of those of us who live in an area where it's Chilis, Applebees, Taco Bell, or bust. Seeing as I wanted to try something different (and I over-bought on sweet potatoes), this recipe was a great fit, though not without it's challenges.
First, I'll say that roasting the potato as opposed to boiling it was genius, as it both brought out the sweet, caramel-sugar taste of the potato, and it got me out of actually peeling a potato, my least favorite kitchen job. By roasting it, the skin was easier to peel than an orange. Already, huge win in my book. While I'm sure it'd have gone faster to peel, boil, and mash the potato, the taste was noticeably better after roasting and if cooking it for an hour gets me out of peeling, then I'll do it with a big smile on my face. However, like most people I suspect, I don't have a potato ricer... But I did have a large strainer and a spoon which I used instead (and when that didn't go fast enough, an over-sized glass tumbler to mash it through the strainer). While it gave me the desired effect, it did take forever to do and, unfortunately, I think that simply mashing the potato wouldn't give you the consistency needed for the dough. Next time, I'm using my Salad Shooter (yes, I own one... Don't judge) or a regular cheese grater since I realized that would be faster and as effective after it was too late for me to do anything about it.
Second issue was that, after adding all of it together, I added either too much flour or used too little sweet potato. I added water to help get the dough to the right consistency, but in hindsight, I'll probably go with more like 1.5 pounds of sweet potato as opposed to 1 pound. Sweet potato is easy to store and freeze and I think the flavor is only helped by adding more sweet potato instead of water. But that said, even with water added, the sweet potato flavor was very pronounced and utterly delicious. For those who don't have truffle oil, simply use another infused oil that compliments sweet potatoes, olive oil, or just leave it out. While the truffle oil does give a nice hint of flavor, it's not something you need. I'd probably make it without next time.
I also have to plead guilty to the fact that by the time I got to the 4th or 5th portion of the dough, I was tired (did I mention I'm still sick?) so my cutting of the gnocchi wasn't as uniform as it could have been... It certainly didn't look like Artist Point and it won't go down as the prettiest dish I've ever made (I thought it looked like little orange scallops), but holy cow, did it taste awesome. I love the buttery sweetness of the drizzle and the sweet potato flavor, which I was worried would be lost behind the butter, was perfect. Maybe I'd add less butter next time, and I'd certainly try harder to make it look nicer, but other then that, I wouldn't change a thing. I'm even tempted to add this to my Thanksgiving dinner...
And, a special note for my sister (and anybody else who cares)... This freezes beautifully. Freeze it in a boil-safe bag and then, when it's time to eat, drop the bag in boiling water, make and add the butter when you're ready to serve, and you're done.
While I was at Disney, not only did I have an utterly awesome, amazing time (people, the new Fantasyland looks awesome. Seriously.), but I came back with a new cookbook focused on Disney holidays and seasons. Turned out that was a better-than-anticipated addition to my library, as I also brought back a monstrous cold that, 10 days later, is still making me miserable. As a result of my cold and my longing for Disney, I seem to crave a steady supply of Disney-related, seasonably appropriate comfort food that requires little-to-no effort to prepare on my part, something this cookbook has in abundance.
Ironically, the first recipe I pulled from this cookbook actually wasn't all that easy to prepare (or should I say, it was easy, but it was time consuming), but because it has it's roots in one of the best places to eat at Disney, Artist Point, I had to make it. Sometimes nostalgia and an overwhelming desire to eat well trumps convenience.
I'm ashamed to admit that I've only had gnocchi once in my life, at Le Cellier actually, and while I liked it, I'm basically clueless on how to make it. I get the principle behind this potato-based dumpling, and I know it's a favorite to prepare on shows like "Top Chef," and I know it's an "in" food right now, however, that food trend has yet to hit our area of New Hampshire. Such is the fate of those of us who live in an area where it's Chilis, Applebees, Taco Bell, or bust. Seeing as I wanted to try something different (and I over-bought on sweet potatoes), this recipe was a great fit, though not without it's challenges.
First, I'll say that roasting the potato as opposed to boiling it was genius, as it both brought out the sweet, caramel-sugar taste of the potato, and it got me out of actually peeling a potato, my least favorite kitchen job. By roasting it, the skin was easier to peel than an orange. Already, huge win in my book. While I'm sure it'd have gone faster to peel, boil, and mash the potato, the taste was noticeably better after roasting and if cooking it for an hour gets me out of peeling, then I'll do it with a big smile on my face. However, like most people I suspect, I don't have a potato ricer... But I did have a large strainer and a spoon which I used instead (and when that didn't go fast enough, an over-sized glass tumbler to mash it through the strainer). While it gave me the desired effect, it did take forever to do and, unfortunately, I think that simply mashing the potato wouldn't give you the consistency needed for the dough. Next time, I'm using my Salad Shooter (yes, I own one... Don't judge) or a regular cheese grater since I realized that would be faster and as effective after it was too late for me to do anything about it.Second issue was that, after adding all of it together, I added either too much flour or used too little sweet potato. I added water to help get the dough to the right consistency, but in hindsight, I'll probably go with more like 1.5 pounds of sweet potato as opposed to 1 pound. Sweet potato is easy to store and freeze and I think the flavor is only helped by adding more sweet potato instead of water. But that said, even with water added, the sweet potato flavor was very pronounced and utterly delicious. For those who don't have truffle oil, simply use another infused oil that compliments sweet potatoes, olive oil, or just leave it out. While the truffle oil does give a nice hint of flavor, it's not something you need. I'd probably make it without next time. I also have to plead guilty to the fact that by the time I got to the 4th or 5th portion of the dough, I was tired (did I mention I'm still sick?) so my cutting of the gnocchi wasn't as uniform as it could have been... It certainly didn't look like Artist Point and it won't go down as the prettiest dish I've ever made (I thought it looked like little orange scallops), but holy cow, did it taste awesome. I love the buttery sweetness of the drizzle and the sweet potato flavor, which I was worried would be lost behind the butter, was perfect. Maybe I'd add less butter next time, and I'd certainly try harder to make it look nicer, but other then that, I wouldn't change a thing. I'm even tempted to add this to my Thanksgiving dinner...
And, a special note for my sister (and anybody else who cares)... This freezes beautifully. Freeze it in a boil-safe bag and then, when it's time to eat, drop the bag in boiling water, make and add the butter when you're ready to serve, and you're done.
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Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Honey-Truffle Brown ButterAs is served at Artist Point at the Wilderness Lodge
Gnocchi
°o° 1 pound sweet potatoes
°o° 2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
°o° 2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
°o° 1 egg yolk
°o° 1/2 teaspoon course (or Kosher) salt
Honey-Caper Brown Butter
Honey-Caper Brown Butter
°o° 1 stick butter
°o° 2 tablespoons honey
°o° 1 teaspoon truffle oil
°o° Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 450. Using a fork or knife, pierce sweet potatoes all over and then bake until tender, 45 minutes for smaller potatoes, an hour or slightly more for larger potatoes. Allow to cool to room temperature and then remove and discard peel.
Using a potato ricer or grater, rice potatoes into a large bowl. Add 2 cups of flour and egg yolk, stirring with your hands until the dough is soft, but not sticky. Add more flour if needed to sticky dough, additional sweet potato or water to dough that's too dry.
Divide the dough into 6 balls and roll each dough ball into a rope until it is about 1 inch thick. Slice the rope into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a dish. Repeat with all remaining dough balls.
In a large pot of salted, boiling water, drop the dough in batches into the water and cook until firm, warmed through, but still tender, about 5-7 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon, making sure they're well drained, and transfer to a covered baking dish.
Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium-high heat until butter is browned, not burned, and has a nutty color and smell. Remove from heat and quickly stir in honey melted and incorporated. Add truffle oil and toss into gnocchi. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
Using a potato ricer or grater, rice potatoes into a large bowl. Add 2 cups of flour and egg yolk, stirring with your hands until the dough is soft, but not sticky. Add more flour if needed to sticky dough, additional sweet potato or water to dough that's too dry.
In a large pot of salted, boiling water, drop the dough in batches into the water and cook until firm, warmed through, but still tender, about 5-7 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon, making sure they're well drained, and transfer to a covered baking dish.
Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium-high heat until butter is browned, not burned, and has a nutty color and smell. Remove from heat and quickly stir in honey melted and incorporated. Add truffle oil and toss into gnocchi. Serve immediately.
Serves 4
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