Sunday, December 26, 2010

Hearty Herbed Beef Stew (Crock Pot)

This is perfect for a cold winter evening. I've been making this recipe for years and simply adapted it using a gluten free flour blend (I used King Arthur GF). An all-time favorite comfort food...

Ingredients:
2 lbs. lean beef round - cut into @ 1" cubes
4-6 carrots, peeled and cut in to large chunks (slice lengthwise - cut into 2" pieces)
4-6 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large cubes
8-10 oz quartered baby bella (crimini) mushrooms (cleaned)
1 large sweet onion, peeled and cut into chunks
1 clove garlic - minced
2 - 2 1/2* cups beef broth (check for gluten)
1/2 c. red wine (cabernet, shiraz etc.)
1 bay leaf
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins is GF)
1 rounded tsp. chopped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp. dried parsley
1 rounded tsp. fresh marjoram, or 1 tsp. dried marjoram
4 Tbsp. gluten free flour blend (King Arthur GF flour blend works well)
1/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Mix together the flour blend, paprika, salt and pepper. Put the beef into the slow cooker, add the seasoned flour and toss with the meat to coat. Add the remaining ingredients with 2 cups* of the beef broth and mix well.

Cover and cook on High 4 - 6 hours, or Low 10-12 hours. My preferred method is High for about 4 hours and Low for 2-3 hours. Makes @ 6-8 servings.

*If the gravy seems too thick towards the end of the cooking time, you can add additional broth as needed.

For a wonderful bread accompaniment, serve with these gluten-free Crusty Baguettes (made with Pamela's Wheat-Free & Gluten-Free Bread Mix).

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Chocolate chewies!

This recipe was published Los Angeles Times in the SOS (reader request) column.


http://articles.latimes.com/2002/jun/26/food/fo-sos1-26


I've made them a few times and have my notes added to the basic recipe.


This is another recipe I have stumbled onto not because it was adapted for GF folks, but that it is naturally GF. It's like a fluffy, crispy chewy brownie - yum! All folks can enjoy it.


Torrance Bakery Chocolate Chewies


Active Work Time: 30 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour


1 cup egg whites (fresh is best, NOT from a carton says me)


1 and 3/4 cups Dutch-process cocoa powder


1/2 teaspoon salt


5 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar


1 pound walnut or pecan pieces (I have only used walnuts and they were dandy)


Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.


Mix together the egg whites, cocoa, salt and sugar on medium speed until the batter is stiff and all ingredients are well incorporated, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the walnuts or pecans by hand.


Place the batter by rounded teaspoonfuls onto the baking sheet; work in batches. Bake until the cookies are a bit shiny and slightly cracked, 10 minutes. They will look underdone but do not overbake.


48 cookies. Each cookie: 125 calories; 34 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 1.67 grams fiber.


These are like brownies crossed with meringue - crisp on the outside but nicely dense and chewy on the inside. I had a bit of a time removing mine from the parchment paper, but I could have been using a type with less silicone. You could also try baking them on a silpat.


This recipe halves well.


Once cooled, store in an airtight container..


Sunday, December 5, 2010

Wonderful Gluten-free Crusty Boule!

I found this bread on the gluten-free girl and the chef blog, and it originally came from Jeff Hertzberg and Zoë Francois, authors of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day. Their book has a section on gluten-free baking. Shauna, (the gluten-free girl) helped them perfect the loaf. And I must say it's amazing - and especially if you have the patience to let the dough rest in the fridge for several days. I made Shauna's delicious olive loaf version - and the difference from the first loaf (made the same day I mixed it), to the second loaf (which resided in the fridge for almost a week) was fairly dramatic. The first loaf was good, but flavor of the second loaf was much more complex... I loved it lightly toasted and dipped in olive oil with Zatar... 


1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup sorghum flour
1 1/2 cups tapioca flour
1 tablespoon granulated active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon xanthan gum
1 1/3 cups lukewarm water (heated to 110°F)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 handfuls kalamata olives, sliced
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, taken off the stem and finely chopped
olive oil
coarse sea salt

Mixing the flours. Mix together the brown rice flour, sorghum flour, tapioca flour, yeast, salt, and xanthan gum in the bowl of your stand mixer (or a large bowl, if you are doing this by hand).

Making the dough. Add the water, eggs, oil, and honey to the dry ingredients. Mix with the paddle attachment (or with a large spoon if you are mixing by hand) for a few moments until the dough has fully come together. It will be soft. It will sort of slump off the paddle. Don't worry. That's the right texture. Add the olives and rosemary and mix one more time.

Letting the dough rise. Put the dough in a large, clean bowl and cover it with a clean towel. Put the dough in a warm place in your kitchen, then leave it alone to rise about 2 hours.

You can now use the dough. Or, you can refrigerate it in a large container with a lid. The dough stays good for a week. Refrigeration overnight does seem to improve the flavor, as well.

Baking the bread. Shape 1 pound of the dough into a squat oval shape or small ball. Sometimes, wetting your hands helps if the dough feels too sticky. Let the dough rest for 40 minutes. (If you are pulling the dough out of the refrigerator, let it rest for 1 1/2 hours before baking it.)

Half an hour before you will put the bread into the oven to bake, turn on the oven to 450°.

(Now we slide a Dutch oven in there to heat up. Be sure the knob on your dutch oven lid will withstand the high temperature! (Replacement knobs are available). Jeff and Zoë recommend a pizza stone in the oven and a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal for resting the bread. Please make sure both are never before used, if you are gluten-free.)

Before baking, make 1/4-inch-deep cuts with a serrated knife to the top of the dough. Pour on a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

Put the dough into the Dutch oven, cover, and return it to the hot oven. (Or, slide the loaf from the pizza peel onto the hot baking stone.) Close the oven door and bake the bread until the top has lightly browned and the bread feels firm, about 35 minutes. (Also, the internal temperature of the bread should be at least 180°.)

-----------------------------
Per Jeff and Zoe I baked mine for 20 mins with the lid on and 15 with the lid off... 



Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Perfect Gluten Free Toll House® Chocolate Chip Cookies!


Well, I never thought I'd experience a cookie like this again... it's both chewy and crisp and totally "Toll House"... with the exception of the flour. RUN, don't walk to Trader Joe's and get some Peanut Flour. Then substitute it 100% for the wheat flour in the Nestle Toll House® recipe - it's amazing.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups Trader Joe's Peanut Flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 large egg
  • 1 (12 ounce) package NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
  • 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions

  1. PREHEAT oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
  3. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Crock Pot Stuffing

This was awesome... everyone (including those who could eat gluten) remarked on how good it was. It is based on a crock pot stuffing recipe from A Year of Slow Cooking


1 loaf of gluten free bread, cubed and dried in the oven (see below) 
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup tart apple, peeled and diced
1/2 cup walnuts1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1-1/2 chicken or vegetable broth (and maybe 1/4 cup later if needed)
1 T ground sage
1 tsp ground marjoram
1/2 tsp savory
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper


Slice and cube the bread. Spread the cubes on a cookie sheet. Dry the bread in the oven at 200º F for 2 hours. Cool - it will dry more as it cools. I used a loaf of bread made with Pamela's Bread mix.


Put the melted butter in a 6 qt. crock pot and add the celery, apple, onion, seasonings, and broth. Mix in the croutons and toss lightly. Cook on high for 2 hours. Edges will brown and stuffing will be hot throughout. Stir gently and add 1/4 c. more liquid if needed. May be kept warm if necessary for an hour or so.


To make preparation easier, cube and dry the bread ahead of time and store in a sealed bag. Make sure it's fully cool and dried before storing.



Monday, November 22, 2010

Wisteria Corn Pudding

Whenever I am in an airport that is new to me, I always buy the local paper, just to see what's up.

Well in this case, the Atlanta Journal gave me a recipe that turned out to be a keeper. And it just happens to be gluten free.

Wisteria Corn Pudding

From the Atlanta Journal

16 servings

Hands on: 10 minutes

Total time: 1 hour

Chef Jason Hill serves cubes of this baked corn puree instead of corn bread in his Southern-style restaurant, Wisteria. The origin is Mexican, he says, "but it could be a Southern dish, easily."

1 cup rice flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons sea salt

2 pounds fresh or frozen corn kernels (thawed if frozen), divided

1/3 cup buttermilk

11 tablespoons butter, melted

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup shredded Asiago cheese (Oddlyme says you can use parmesan or pecorino too)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Set aside. Place all but 1 rounded cup of corn kernels in a blender or food processor with buttermilk; puree until smooth. Stir pureed corn mixture into flour mixture. Add melted butter and eggs; stir until blended. Stir in Asiago and reserved corn kernels.

Spoon batter into a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until lightly browned on top, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool slightly; cut into squares before serving.

Per serving: 216 calories (percent of calories from fat, 44), 5 grams protein, 27 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 11 grams fat (6 grams saturated), 51 milligrams cholesterol, 538 milligrams sodium.

Notes: This recipe easily cuts in half, to bake in a 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan. You can actually blend the corn, buttermilk AND eggs and melted butter in the blender together, then stir into dry ingredients. It will take AT LEAST 45 minutes to bake, possible 55 – 60, you want some nice color on top. Very very tasty, sweet and fluffy./creamy. No gluten! And it reheats well.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Sausage, apple, and butternut squash risotto

This was one of those experiments that turned out super tasty...

Ingredients:
1 lb. Bob Evans maple sausage (bulk roll) - if you substitute, make sure it's GF
1 granny smith apple - cored and chopped into 1/2" cubes
1 med. sweet onion, chopped
2c. butternut squash, (rind and seeds removed), chopped into 1/2" cubes
1/4 t. ground sage
1/4 - 1/2 c. hard cider* (or substitute 2T. apple cider and more water)
5c. hot water
1 gluten free chicken bouillon cube or liquid (TJ's low sodium liquid)
2c. Arborio or other risotto rice

Heat the water in a saucepan. Add the bouillon to the hot water and dissolve. Keep broth mixture warm.
Brown the sausage in a skillet or dutch oven and drain the fat.
Add the chopped onion and stir until translucent.
Add the chopped squash, apple, sage, and 1/2 cup of the broth mixture. Cook about 10 minutes or until the squash is tender and most of the water has cooked away.
Add the rice and stir until well coated.
Add @1 cup of the broth mixture and stir until absorbed.
Add the hard cider (or apple cider/water) and stir until absorbed.
Continue adding the broth 1 c. at a time until it is all absorbed and the rice is fully cooked. It should be firm to the bite - not mushy (al dente). If you have used all the broth and the rice is not fully cooked, add more water as needed - 1/4c. at a time until absorbed and rice is al dente.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

* most hard ciders are gluten free - but check to be sure - Hornsbys & Harpoon ciders are NOT gluten free.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Sundried Tomato and Caper Pasta Sauce

From the blog "A Year of Slow Cooking"


http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/sundried-tomato-and-caper-pasta-sauce.html

This is a great, easy pasta sauce with a nice tang due to a handful of sundried tomatoes and capers. They say you can (or should) add frozen peas but we did not and I am glad we did not.

The Ingredients.

--1/2 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and rinsed (we got ours at Trader Joes)
--5 fresh tomatoes, chopped (In a pinch, I think you could use good quality, canned diced tomatoes)
--1 medium onion, minced
--8 garlic cloves, chopped
--2 T capers, drained
--1 T Italian seasoning
--1/2 cup frozen peas, optional
--fresh Parmesan cheese, optional (Not optional for me - mandatory!)
--1 pound cooked pasta (The blog author used Trader Joe's brown rice penne, we used regular pasta)

The Directions.

Use a 4-6 quart crockpot for this sauce.

Chop up the tomatoes, garlic, and onion and toss them into yourcrockpot. Add the tablespoon of Italian seasoning. After draining and rinsing off as much of the oil as you can from the sundried tomatoes, add 1/4 cup of them whole to the crockpot. Chop up the remaining 1/4 cup, and then add that. Stir in the 2 T of drained capers.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Stir in the frozen peas 20 minutes before serving. Toss the sauce with hot cooked pasta. Garnish with shredded Parmesan cheese.

My notes? Overall - yummy. My husband is learning to use the crockpot and we were both very happy with the results. Easy enough for him, tasty enough for us both - and the parm cheese at the end is the perfect touch. This makes a good amount of sauce, and it's just the two of us, so... we had it for dinner, a bit topping an omelet the next day - and there was still enough to freeze two small tubs for future dinners. Two thumbs up!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Slow Cooker Ratatouille

Shared by Laura (with some of her variations) - naturally gluten free!


1 small eggplant (~1 pound) cut into 1/2" cubes (they say peel - I didn't bother)
1 medium red onion, chopped
2 medium sized sweet bell peppers, seeded and cut into 3/4" pieces (I only used one)
1 package (10 oz) mushrooms, cleaned and quartered 
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 medium yellow squash, quartered and cut in 3/4" pieces
(I subsituted zucchini as I *love* it w/ tomato, and doubled it to make up for less green pepper)
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
olive oil for drizzling (optional)


Combine all down to the squash (zucchini) in a 4-5 quart slow cooker. Cook on low for ~4 hours. Add yellow squash (or zucchini) and fresh basil. Cook 1/2 hour more. Drizzle with oil (if desired). Serve.

Makes about 4 containers for meals to have during the week (lunches for me this week :) 


Enjoy!! :))

Sunday, November 7, 2010

GF Peanut Butter Cookies

These cookies are actually from Gourmet Magazine (hold me while I sniffle for it's passing) over 10 years ago. A family recipe that just happens to be gluten free (from Amy Fritch) it has become one of my favs.


http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Mom-Mom-Fritchs-Peanut-Butter-Cookies-100848


MOM-MOM FRITCH'S PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES

1 cup peanut butter (creamy or chunky - I prefer chunky)

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon baking soda


Preheat oven to 350°F. and grease (or spray) baking sheets. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together peanut butter and sugar until combined well. In a small bowl lightly beat egg and beat into peanut butter mixture with

baking soda until combined well.


Roll level Tablespoons of dough into balls (small walnut sized) and arrange about 1 inch apart on baking sheets. With tines of a fork flatten balls to about 1 1/2 inches in diameter, making a crosshatch pattern. (You'll need to dip the fork in cold water to not have it stick.) Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until puffed and pale golden, about 10 minutes. (Check at 8 minutes, these cookies burn quickly! You want them to be puffed and almost golden. Dark brown is too brown.)


Cool cookies on baking sheets 2 minutes and transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Cookies may be kept in an airtight container at room temperature 5 days.


Makes about 24 nice sized cookies.

Note: The "right after it is baked" cookie, is gentle and almost bland. If you can just let them cool, pack them up and wait overnight - or even a few hours - the cookie you find in the morning is rich, crisp, VERY flavorful, a real winner.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Crock Pot Pasta Fagioli (gluten free)

From the blog A Year of Slow Cooking 


Notes: Check Beef Broth and Pasta Sauce for gluten. For the combo of tomatoes and pasta sauce, I used a 28 oz. can of Dei Fratelli diced tomatoes with the sauce and 28 oz. can of Dei Fratelli Italian Sauce (both gluten free). I also used more rice pasta - about 3/4 cup. You could also omit the salt because there is enough in the tomatoes (in my opinion). This has a good kick, so if you don't like spicy cut back on the Tabasco a little (you can always add more to taste!).


The Ingredients
1 pound lean ground beef, browned and drained
1/2 large red onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (and juice) 
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups beef broth (check label for gluten!) 
1 jar (16.5 oz) pasta sauce
 (check label for gluten!) 
2 tsp oregano

1 T Tabasco sauce 
1/2 tsp salt
 
1/4 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup dry pasta, to add at end of cooking time (author used TJ's brown rice fusilli) 

The Directions

Use a 6 quart or larger 
crockpot, or cut the recipe in half. This makes a lot.
 

Brown the meat on the 
stovetop, and drain well. Let it cool a bit.
 

Chop up the carrots, onion, and celery. Add it to the empty 
crockpot.
Drain and rinse the beans, and add them. Add the whole cans of tomatoes, and the pasta sauce. Add the beef broth. Add the salt, pepper, oregano, and 
Tobascosauce. Stir in your meat.
 

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the 1/2 cup of dry pasta.

Cover and cook for another hour on low, or until the pasta is tender.
 It will swell quite a bit. Serve with a bit of parmesan cheese if you have it. 

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Gluten Free Mac n' Cheese

Shared by Laura adapted from Betty Crocker


Double recipe shown here... the recipe below makes half this amount. It has pasta shells (brown rice) substituted for elbows and was put under the broiler for a few minutes to get the crispy top.



2 cups uncooked gluten free elbow macaroni (7 ounces) brown rice pasta works well
1/4 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard (dry)
1/4 teaspoon Worceshire sauce (Lea & Perrins is GF)
2 cups milk
2 cups shredded or cubed sharp Cheddar cheese (8 ounces)

Heat oven to 350ºF

Cook macaroni as directed on the package. Undercook the macaroni slightly -  rice pasta can get very soft and will finish cooking in the oven.

While macaroni is cooking, melt margarine in 3-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Stir in cheese. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted.



Drain macaroni. Gently stir in macaroni into cheese sauce. Pour into ungreased 2 quart casserole. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly.


When making a double recipe (as pictured above) use a 4 quart casserole. Bake 30 mins. 

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Tabouli with quinoa

A gluten free twist on a classic recipe.

1-1/2 c. parsley - rinsed and chopped (1 lg. bunch, larger stems removed)
1 c. red quinoa
2 c. water
1 lg. tomato, chopped
3/4 c. chopped cucumber (seedless or seeds removed)
1/4 c. finely chopped red onion

Dressing:
1/2 c. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 c. olive oil
1/2 tsp. oregano
dash cayenne pepper
1 clove garlic (crushed or minced)
1/4 tsp. salt

Rinse quinoa 2-3 times, (stirring grains so they rub together) to remove bitter layer (some brands do not require this - check pkg). Bring quinoa and water to a boil in saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer 10-15 mins. until water has been absorbed. Cool.

Mix dressing ingredients with a whisk.

Toss together parsley, onion, cucumber, tomato, and cooled quinoa. Add dressing and mix thoroughly. Let stand at least 20 minutes before serving. Best if refrigerated for 2-24 hours before serving.

Shepherd's Pie

A classic favorite cool weather comfort dish.

Filling:
1/2 c. onion, minced
1/2 c. celery, chopped
1/2 c. carrot, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic (depending on size)
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins is GF)
1/2 tsp. dried thyme (or blended herbs like bouquet garni)
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1-1/4 c. broth (vegetable, chicken, or beef)
1/4 c. dry red wine (omit and replace with broth if desired)
1/4 c. frozen peas (thawed)
1/4 c. frozen corn (thawed)
1 lb. ground beef (92-95% lean)

Topping:
@ 2 lbs. potatoes (Yukon Gold) peeled and cut into pieces
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 tbsp. butter (melted)
1/2 c. milk (warmed)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp. butter cut into small pieces to dot over topping

Cut potatoes into chunks. Bring 2 qts. water to boil in saucepan. Add potatoes and simmer until soft.

While potatoes are cooking, brown ground beef in skillet (drain if necessary). Add onion, celery, carrot, garlic and cook until soft. Add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and corn starch (sprinkle evenly over meat) and mix well. Add broth, wine and herbs. Simmer gently until gravy has thickened (about 20 minutes) if mixture becomes too thick, add a little more water or broth. Add the corn and peas and heat thoroughly.

Drain the potatoes - return to saucepan. Mash the potatoes and whisk in butter, milk and sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste.

Place filling into lightly greased 2qt. baking dish (use GF cooking spray*). Drop mashed potatoes onto filling evenly and spread to cover. Fill potatoes to the edge to prevent the filling from bubbling out. Dot top with butter.

Bake in preheated 350º oven for 40-45 minutes.


*Pam baking spray is not gluten free but the other Pam cooking sprays are. Mazola and Trader Joe's cooking sprays are also gluten free.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Creamy sweet potato and rosemary soup


From the Today Show 10/7/10


Recipe: Creamy sweet potato and rosemary soup

Giada De Laurentiis
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 large or 6 small shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 (6-inch long) stems fresh rosemary
  • 2 pounds (about 2 to 3) sweet potatoes, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
Preparation
In an 8-quart stockpot, melt the butter and oil together over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until soft. Add the sweet potatoes, rosemary and chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are very tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. Turn off the heat and remove the rosemary stems. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Whisk in the mascarpone cheese and maple syrup until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat until ready to serve.
Tips
Cook's note: The soup can also be pureed by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.
Serving Size
Yield: 4 to 6 servings (8 cups), Prep time: 15 minutes, Cook time: 25 to 30 minutes