February
29, 2004
Appetizers
- Geiger's
Soup
- Ohlsson's
Main
Course - House's
Wine
- Brambilla's
Dessert
- Marr's
Appetizers
Salad/Soup
Sweet Potato Bisque with Avocado, Pear
and Lime
(Serves 4)
Pears
2 ripe pears
2 cups dry white wine
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup pear brandy
Soup
2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 tablespoon chopped celery
1 tablespoon chopped carrot
1/2 serrano chili, seeded and chopped (jalapeno
can be substituted)
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme, or 1/4
teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/4 cups chicken stock (I made it by
boiling a whole chicken with onion, celery and carrots)
3 cups heavy cream (I used about 1 1/2 cups of
half and half instead of 3 cups of heavy cream)
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
Garnish
4 thin slices lime
1 ripe avocado
To cook the pears, which are used as a garnish as
well as an ingredient, peel, halve, and core them. Poach the pears in
the wine, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and pear brandy for 10 minutes, or
until the point of a knife pierces one easily. (Mine took about 20
minutes.) Allow to cool in syrup.
To make the soup, peel and chop the sweet
potatoes, then cook in salted boiling water until soft, about 5-7 minutes.
Drain, and place in a blender or a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
While the potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in a small sauté pan or
skillet over medium heat and sauté the vegetables, chili and thyme until the
vegetables are soft, about 7 minutes. Deglaze with 1/4 cup of the
chicken stock and cook for 1 minute. Add to the food processor along
with the remaining 1 cup of stock and 1 poached pear. Puree until
smooth.
Poor the puree into a saucepan and add the cream,
maple syrup, salt, pepper, and lime juice. Bring to a boil over medium
heat; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
To serve, pour into warm bowls and garnish with a
slice of lime, some sliced avocado and slices from the remaining poached pear.
Note: The soup can be prepared up to 2 days
in advance and reheated slowly, uncovered. Do not prepare the garnish
until ready to serve.
Main
Course
Wine
Dessert
