![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
She blinded me with yams
Nov. 23rd, 2007 10:55 amSomeone asked about the experimental yams, and they turned out pretty well, so I shall record the process for posterity. The important caveats here are that I treat cooking like a mad science experiment, and very possibly I have weird taste. So duplicate at your own caution.
Gluehwein Yams
Ingredients:
A bunch of yams (orange sweet potatoes)
Some apples
A bottle of Gluehwein (that's pre-spiced wine for mulling)
Spices (cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, orange zest, or whatever else you want)
Butter
Brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350.
First, peel and slice the yams and apples and put them in a buttered baking dish. I sprinkled on some cinnamon, cardamom pods, and bits of butter.
Heat two cups of Gluehwein. I added more spices and the orange zest and let it boil for a bit. Then pour the wine over the sliced yams, cover with tinfoil and stick in the oven for an hour. Appreciate the lovely smell coming from the oven.
Caution the first: The yams came out fine after an hour, but the apples were soggy. You might want to check at 45 minutes. I wasn't using particularly great baking apples though.
Caution the second: Despite the lovely smell, the yams were a little bland. You could choose to head this off at the pass by adding brown sugar or whatever before baking. We instead salvaged by making a glaze of more wine, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. This turned out pretty darn well.
Unless you're serving immediately, drain the excess wine from the dish so they don't get soggy. Also, probably wise to take out the cardamom pods.
The result is sweet and spicy, wine-flavored without being boozy, and a little tangy. I also made cardamom cream to go with them (cardamom + whipping cream; whip), which was very nice. The cream brings out the tanginess of the wine and oranges. (The cream is also lovely on pumpkin pie, and is going to be delightful in my coffee today.)
I deem them to be a success, but one with room for improvement. I am, however, a mad scientist space alien, so your mileage may vary.
The show was stolen at dinner, however, not by the yams, but by the surprise guest dog. My mother was dogsitting the neighbor's tiny dog. Now, keep in mind, I don't like tiny dogs. They elicit from me at best pity, and more often the urge to grab a mallet and play whack-a-rat. But after dinner I went out to investigate this new animal, and find a tiny little dog curled up in a basket. The next thing I know I'm carrying this dog around the house feeding him turkey and exclaiming over his cuteness. This was the cutest freaking dog in the world. He didn't yap! Never made a sound, just followed me around and stared at me with his sad freakish pug eyes. I would have stolen him.
If little yappy dogs are developing mind-control powers, we're all screwed.
Gluehwein Yams
Ingredients:
A bunch of yams (orange sweet potatoes)
Some apples
A bottle of Gluehwein (that's pre-spiced wine for mulling)
Spices (cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, orange zest, or whatever else you want)
Butter
Brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350.
First, peel and slice the yams and apples and put them in a buttered baking dish. I sprinkled on some cinnamon, cardamom pods, and bits of butter.
Heat two cups of Gluehwein. I added more spices and the orange zest and let it boil for a bit. Then pour the wine over the sliced yams, cover with tinfoil and stick in the oven for an hour. Appreciate the lovely smell coming from the oven.
Caution the first: The yams came out fine after an hour, but the apples were soggy. You might want to check at 45 minutes. I wasn't using particularly great baking apples though.
Caution the second: Despite the lovely smell, the yams were a little bland. You could choose to head this off at the pass by adding brown sugar or whatever before baking. We instead salvaged by making a glaze of more wine, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. This turned out pretty darn well.
Unless you're serving immediately, drain the excess wine from the dish so they don't get soggy. Also, probably wise to take out the cardamom pods.
The result is sweet and spicy, wine-flavored without being boozy, and a little tangy. I also made cardamom cream to go with them (cardamom + whipping cream; whip), which was very nice. The cream brings out the tanginess of the wine and oranges. (The cream is also lovely on pumpkin pie, and is going to be delightful in my coffee today.)
I deem them to be a success, but one with room for improvement. I am, however, a mad scientist space alien, so your mileage may vary.
The show was stolen at dinner, however, not by the yams, but by the surprise guest dog. My mother was dogsitting the neighbor's tiny dog. Now, keep in mind, I don't like tiny dogs. They elicit from me at best pity, and more often the urge to grab a mallet and play whack-a-rat. But after dinner I went out to investigate this new animal, and find a tiny little dog curled up in a basket. The next thing I know I'm carrying this dog around the house feeding him turkey and exclaiming over his cuteness. This was the cutest freaking dog in the world. He didn't yap! Never made a sound, just followed me around and stared at me with his sad freakish pug eyes. I would have stolen him.
If little yappy dogs are developing mind-control powers, we're all screwed.
