Sweet Potato Rolls

1/4 cup warm water (105°F - 115°F)
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
5 Tbs unsalted butter
2 cups cooked and puréed sweet potatoes
1 tsp lemon juice
1 egg, slightly beaten
6 to 7 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1/4 cup melted butter

Combine warm water and yeast in a small cup, stir to dissolve and set aside to proof. In a saucepan, scald milk; add sugar, salt, cinnamon, and butter. Stir until butter is melted.

Place sweet potato purée in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Pour milk mixture over the mashed potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add lemon juice to the mixture then beat until smooth. Cool to lukewarm, then add egg and yeast mixture; blend well. Stir in 2 cups of flour and beat at medium speed for about 3 minutes. Switch to the dough hook and add enough flour in increments to make a stiff dough. The dough will be sticky, and should be smooth and elastic.

Turn onto a floured surface and knead into a smooth ball. Place dough in a buttered bowl, turn dough to butter top; cover and let rise in a warm, draft free place until doubled. Punch down and knead once more. Divide dough into 24 equal sized pieces, then shape into rolls. Place rolls on a buttered half-sheet cookie pan, cover and let rise until doubled.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter and bake rolls for approximately 20 minutes until tops are a light golden brown. Brush rolls again with melted butter when they are fresh and hot from the oven.

Makes 2 dozen rolls.

Notes: The dough could easily be made into cloverleaf rolls by dividing it into 72 equal sized pieces and placing three of the balls in a buttered muffin tin for the second rise. Yields 2 dozen cloverleaf rolls.

The sweet potato flavor is subtle, but present. The color is spectacular and the rolls were a definite hit at our Thanksgiving dinner. When served with Pecan Praline Compound Butter, it's heaven in a bite!

Pumpkin Spice Cake

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3/8 tsp ground allspice
3/8 tsp fresh ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 can pumpkin pie filling, 30 ounce size (about 18 ounces by volume)
confectioners' sugar for dusting, or glaze or frosting

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Generously grease and flour a 9-inch 2-piece tube cake pan or Bundt pan.

Cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in egg then add raisins and pecans. Sift together the flour, salt, soda, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and ginger. Heat pumpkin pie filling until warm. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with the pumpkin pie filling.

Spoon batter into pan and bake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a skewer or cake tester inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack and finish cooling. Dust with confectioners sugar before serving or glaze or frost the cake, if desired.

Moroccan Spice Blend

1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (or about 1/4 - 1/3 of a stick of cinnamon)
1/2 tsp whole coriander
1/2 tsp whole allspice
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp whole cloves

Combine all and grind in spice grinder until powdered; store in an airtight container.

Brie en Croute

1 sheet puff pastry
1 8-oz wheel Brie cheese
½ - ¾ cup good-quality apricot preserves
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 Tbs unsalted butter - melted

Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions. While the puff is thawing, pre-heat oven to 375° F. Lightly toast the sliced almonds in a shallow tray in the oven; remove to cool. Continue to keep the oven heated at 375 degrees once the almonds are removed.

When puff has thawed, lightly flour the counter and roll out the puff pastry sheet to approximately 10” square, dusting the surface of the puff with flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the rolling pin. If the puff is too warm to work with, return it to the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm up.

In the center of the puff, spread the apricot preserves in a circle roughly the same size as the wheel of Brie, and about ½-inch thick. Lay the wheel of Brie on top, then fold over the opposing corners of the puff pastry to overlap in the center of the cheese. Brush the edges of the pastry with melted butter where they meet and press together to seal the pastry. Repeat with the other opposing corners, making certain to completely encase the cheese and sealing all edges well. Tuck in any loose pastry and gently invert the package so the seams of the pastry are on the bottom. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375° F for 20 – 25 minutes until the pastry has puffed and turned a light golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Spread the toasted almonds on the serving plate and place the brie on top. Serve with slices of a good French bread.

Note: Other preserves can be used in lieu of apricot. Try fig preserves for a delicious variation.

Greek Tzatziki Sauce

2 cups Greek-style yogurt
4 - 10 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 - 3/4 cup grated cucumber
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 - 3 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 - 2 Tbs finely chopped fresh dill

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until combined. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for 2 hours for flavors to meld. Serve chilled.

Notes: If you prefer, you can omit the dill or substitute an equal amount of fresh mint. Tzatziki is delicious served with Gyros or Kefta, or used as a dip for raw vegetables.

If you are not able to find Greek style yogurt in your market, you can drain regular plain yogurt by placing a coffee filter in a strainer over a bowl, and letting your yogurt drain in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to remove excess whey.

Moroccan Kefta

2 pounds lamb, very finely ground
2 onions, grated
3 Tbs chopped flat-leaf parsley
3 Tbs chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper
1/4 tsp ground chile or cayenne pepper (optional)
4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon

Mix the lamb with the onions, parsley, cilantro, cumin, coriander, ginger cinnamon, salt and pepper in a large bowl and knead vigorously until very smooth and pasty. With wet hands, divide the meat into 32 equal portions (about the size of an egg). Press them firmly around flat bladed skewers, two on each skewer, and flatten slightly into thin sausage shapes. Cook over charcoal or under the broiler for 4-5 minutes, until done, turning over once. Be careful not to overcook, as the meat dries out quickly.

In a small bowl, combine 4 Tbs olive oil and the juice of one lemon. Whisk to combine and drizzle over the cooked Kefta.

Serve at once with bread.

Notes: For a minty variation, mix the meat and onion with 3 Tbs chopped cilantro, 3 Tbs chopped mint, 2 tsp ground cumin, salt, and pepper.

The Kefta is also delicious when served with a good Tzatziki Sauce, even though Tzatziki is a Greek sauce, the ingredients and flavors meld well with Moroccan cuisine.

I found kneading the lamb to be a bit tedious, so I pulsed half of the lamb mixture in the food processor fitted with the blade until it was pasty, then combined it with the remainder of the mix and kneaded it in very well. The texture turned out perfectly.

If you do not have flat bladed skewers, you can use bamboo stir sticks. Just be sure to soak the stir sticks overnight in water so they don't burn on the grill.

Chimichurri Sauce

3/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs Sherry wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 medium shallots, peeled, quartered
1 tsp fine sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper
3 cups (packed) stemmed fresh parsley
2 cups (packed) stemmed fresh cilantro
1 cup (packed) stemmed fresh mint

In a blender, combine olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, shallots, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper. Puree until well blended. Add 1/4 each of the parsley, cilantro and mint and puree until incorporated. Add remaining herbs in 3 more batches, blending well after each addition. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Note: for a spicier Chimichurri, increase the amount of the crushed red pepper, but be aware the heat level increases as the Chimichurri ages in the refrigerator.