Sweet Potato (or Acorn Squash) and Pear Soup

My friend Monique gave us some recipe books when she was cleaning out her closets last year, and one of the books that she gave us was Veggie Food, edited by Kay Scarlett. Because I love soups, I was excited to find that there is a whole section of veggie soups, lots of which are rich and creamy. There are several chilled soups, which I want to explore, but so far the favorite in our house has been the Sweet Potato and Pear soup, which I've adapted here, to use with sweet potatoes or acorn squash.

Sweet Potato (or Acorn Squash) and Pear Soup
1 Tbs butter
1 sweet white onion, medium-small to medium (larger if you like lots of onion flavor)
6-7 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed,
       or 2 medium acorn squashes, roasted and peeled. Might also use a large butter nut.
3-4 firm pears
4 C vegetable or chicken stock
1 C cream
Black Pepper to taste
A pinch of cinnamon and/or nutmeg if you're feeling adventurous

-Saute the onions in butter
-Add the cubed potato or squash, cook for 2-3 minutes
-Add the cubed pears
-Add the stock, bring to a boil then cook an additional 20 minutes, or until potato/squash are soft.
-Using a hand blender, or by transferring the soup by batches to a stand blender, puree the soup.
-Just before serving, add the cream.  (I actually only add about 3/4 C cream, but I think I prefer less cream in soup than the average person.)
-Salt and pepper to taste. (maybe a pinch of salt, but I like a generous amount of black pepper.)



Kirsten tells me that she prefers the soup with the squash, but I liked the potato iteration better. They were both really good. You could make this basic soup with lots of firm, winter vegetables: almost all of the winter squashes will work, potato, yams, etc. It is a rich, creamy soup that is great for cold days. We served it with a side of sauteed veggies and some hearty whole wheat bread to round it all out.

Orange and Almond Cream Pie

Happy Pi(e) Day!

Pi Day is one of the very best holidays ever because pi is one of the coolest numbers around, and pie is probably my favorite food.

So, to wish you a Merry Pi(e) Day, I offer the Orange and Almond Cream Pie. It is a fresh-fruit pie, and a versatile recipe because the orange can easily be substituted for almost any fresh fruit.



Orange and Almond Cream Pie

Ingredients
1 prepared pie crust
~2 Tbs raw sugar
~2 Tbs finely chopped almonds

1 quart whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla (or more, as desired)
8 oz (1 package) cream cheese
1/2 C or so powdered sugar (to taste)
1/2 C finely chopped almonds
1 C blueberries (optional)

3-4 medium oranges, peeled and chopped
1 Tbs powdered sugar
An additional orange and some more chopped almond for garnish


Crust

For the crust of this pie, I just used a traditional pie crust recipe, in this case the one I found in Fanny Farmer's Cookbook, so use your favorite crust recipe here, doesn't need to be fancy. After you've placed the crust in the pan, sprinkle the dough with raw sugar and a bit of chopped almond. Lightly press the sugar and almond into the crust. Bake as recipe directs.

After the crust has cooled, fill it as follows.

Filling
Whip the cream until it is thick. Add the powdered sugar to taste. Mix in the vanilla and cream cheese. Stir in the crushed almonds and the blueberries. Generously fill the pie shell with cream mixture, reserving some for garnish.

In a separate bowl, mix the chopped oranges with just a little bit of powdered sugar. Once mixed, layer the oranges over the cream.

Use a dollop of the whipped cream mixture for garnish, and make it uberfancy by placing some orange slices artistically. Sprinkle the whole thing with some more almonds.

Enjoy!