Food of the Month - November - Pecans

  Pecans

I am easily seduced by simple foods made well with good ingredients. This means that I lean more towards casual homestyle cooking as opposed to trendy, eye-catching architectural food structures. I love hearty peasant food and old-fashioned, traditional recipes passed down from grandmothers. So, this month I am inspired by a really straight-forward autumn-coloured dish, Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Topping. Perhaps this is the kind of dish many of you make often, especially when temperatures drop and the need for comfort rises. My recipe, adapted from one I found on www.cooking.com, has a velvety, soft texture, reminiscent of chocolate mousse, actually, invitingly smooth and just sweet enough to please without being downright dessert-like. Topped with a crisp, nutty crust, this dish elevates the humble sweet potato into what feels like a sweet indulgence but contains only a tablespoon of butter (for the whole dish). The silkiness of orange-scented sweet potatoes is gloriously enhanced with the warm notes of cinnamon and fresh ginger, plus a couple of eggs for smooth lightness.

Sweet Potato Casserole

2+1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, about 3 medium, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks; 2 large eggs; 1 tablespoon honey; 1/2 cup orange juice; 2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste; pepper to taste. Topping: 3/4 cup whole-wheat flour; 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar; 7 tsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed; 1 tbsp. melted butter; 1/2 tsp. cinnamon; 3/4 cup chopped pecans.

Place sweet potatoes in a large saucepan; cover with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat until very tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain well and return to pan. Mash with a potato masher. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a medium sized casserole or 7"x11" baking pan . In a mixing bowl whisk eggs and honey until frothy. Stir in orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, salt and pepper. Mix well. Add the mashed sweet potato and whip until very well blended and light in texture. Spread this mixture into casserole or pan. For the topping, mix together flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter and orange juice concentrate. Stir in pecans and mix until evenly distributed. With your fingers crumble this topping as evenly as you can over the sweet potato mixture. Bake at 350 F for 35 - 40 minutes, until heated through and the top is lightly browned.

Makes enough for about 8 servings.

I tend not to talk alot about nutrition because my guiding principle is that real, natural food is inherently healthy, so why analyze it? I will say, though, that nuts are one of nature's best foods, containing unsaturated fats (that's the "good" kind) that help reduce risks of heart disease. Nuts are also an excellent source of antioxidants that fight free radicals in the blood and protect against cancer and the effects of aging.

  Caramel

It is a stretch to call this a health food, but pecans with caramel are a memorable match that I gravitate to again and again. When I want some pecan pie decadance but don't feel like taking on the task of its creation, I make these sticky, gooey pecan squares which offer the same satisfying caramel-nut hit in a bar cookie format. This recipe comes from Williams-Sonoma's book Essentials of Baking:

Maple Pecan Squares

Crust: 1+1/4 cups all-purpose flour; 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar; 1/4 tsp. salt; 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces. Filling: 6 tbps. unsalted butter; 1/3 cup pure maple syrup; 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar; 1/3 cup heavy cream (35%); 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans.

Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9" square baking pan. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, brown sugar and salt and pulse to blend. Add butter and pulse until mixture forms large coarse crumbs the size of peas. Add a few drops of cold water and pulse just until the mixture clumps together. It should hold its shape when you pinch it with your fingers. Press this mixture firmly and evenly into bottom of pan. Bake until edges are lightly browned and the top feels firm, 12-17 minutes. For the filling, in a saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, maple syrup, brown sugar and cream and stir together until better melts and sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the pecans. Mix well. Pour hot filling over the partially baked crust, spreading it evenly. Bake 22-25 minutes. The filling will bubble vigourously, subside and then form smaller bubbles toward the end of baking. Cool completely before cutting into little squares.  

Go nuts for these books:

  Nuts : more than 75 delicious & healthy recipes / by Laskin, Avner. 

  Nuts : recipes from around the world that feature nature's perfect ingredient / by Griffith, Linda.