My latest culinary obsession is the Tupelo Honey Cafe cookbook and the Coconut Sweet Potato Bisque recipe found therein.
Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled & thinly sliced
4 cups and 4 1/2 teaspoons H2O
1 can unsweetened coconut milk (14oz can)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons REAL maple syrup (this ain't no place for Aunt Jemimah)
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
4 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (also known as a "dash")
Equipment:
Cutting knife
Vegetable peeler
Immersion blender
Large cast iron dutch oven
Tasting spoon
Self-control
Wash, peel, thinly slice your potatoes.
Throw 'em in the pot with your 4 cups over water over high heat until they're boiling. Boil 20 minutes, or until you can easily break apart the potatoes with a spoon. Reduce heat to medium and if you have a potato masher, mash up the potatoes in the water. If not, a large spoon will do quite nicely. Add the coconut milk, sugar, syrup, honey, salt, pepper, and pumpkin pie spice. At this point, use your immersion blender to blend everything up together, being careful to keep the wand under the surface of the soup so you don't make a giant mess. If you do, it's ok though. Simmer for approximately 15 minutes and let it thicken.
In a bowl, combine the cornstarch and the 4 1/2 teaspoons of water to make a paste. Add to the soup along with the cayenne and blend again. This will thicken the soup even more to a deliciously creamy texture. Soup should coat the back of a spoon.
Permission to lose your mind granted. :)
Please note, if you do not have an immersion blender you can definitely use a food processor and work in batches transferring back and forth. I used to do that until I got an immersion blender and I can say with confidence it has changed my soup making life. This is the one I have. Bon appetit!
