Purple Potato Pirate Pie

I have a confession to make; I'm related to William "Captain" Kidd by marriage. This fact has been a source of amusement for friends and new acquaintances, as well as polite assertions of innocence ("he was framed") by family members. It's a fact that intrigues me as much as the tale my Aunt Jean used to tell of my paternal great grandmother who was known for dispensing wisdom and arranging marriages in a small Polish town. 

Sometimes family stories have a way of getting into what you eat. Though I don't have recipes from my great grandmother (Edouard De Pomiane's "The Jews of Poland: Recollections and Recipes" might offer a clue) it's easy to find out what European pirates enjoyed as a result of their seafaring ways. Salamagundi—a hodgepodge of chopped meat, anchovies, onions, eggs, vinegar, oil and spices—is well known. Dessert is another story though honey cake seems to show up occasionally and makes sense when one thinks of honey's ability to preserve food when combined with spices.

The immediate thought that comes to mind for most people considering the foodways of pirates is what the scallywags drank. Rum was extremely popular, though beer, grog, sherry, brandy and port are other documented favorites. Since I am a Kydd by marriage (K"y"dd when the family moved from Scotland to England) and pirates were known to travel and trade in spices, I've decided to use dark rum, dark muscovado sugar and a spice mixture of my own creation to make a decadent sweet potato pie. Though my connection to Captain Kidd is tenuous at best, I think he'd enjoy the rich color of the Stokes Purple Sweet Potato and relish each bite as he would his treasured drink.

Purple Potato Pirate Pie

Recipe by Michelle Krell Kydd

Yield: Two Pies

Ingredients:

·      4 cups Stokes® Purple Sweet Potatoes (baked, cooled and mashed with a ricer)

·      1 cup India Tree® Dark Muscovado Sugar (firmly packed, can use brown sugar if not available)

·      1 cup light coconut milk

·      4 tbsp. dark rum*

·      2 tsp. Mexican vanilla extract

·      4 large omega-3 eggs

·      4 tbsp. cornstarch

·      2 tsp. ground China cassia cinnamon

·      1 tsp. ground ginger

·      1 tsp. ground mace

·      ½ tsp. ground allspice

·      ½ tsp. ground cloves

·      1 tsp. non-iodized sea salt

·      (2) Arrowhead Mills® prepared 9-inch Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Instructions:

Preparing the Potatoes

·      The day before you make the pie prepare 5 medium Stokes® Purple Sweet Potatoes for baking.

·      Preheat oven to 400F.

·      Gently rinse each potato using your fingers to rub off any surface dirt. Pat potatoes dry with a paper towel and check the potatoes to make sure they aren’t bruised, (if they are cut out what can’t be used and discard).

·      Using the tines of a fork poke holes in the surface of the potato. Wrap in aluminum foil with the poked side facing up. This will allow air to escape and prevent the potato from bursting in the oven.

·      Bake for 50-60 minutes at 400 degrees. When done, open the foil carefully (the purple juice can stain clothing and hands) and allow each potato to cool before re-wrapping and placing in the refrigerator overnight.

Preparing the Pies

·      Preheat oven to 325F.

·      Remove the skins from the potatoes and cut into half inch slices. Fill a potato ricer to the half point and mash the potatoes through the ricer, putting pressure on the ends of the handles for maximum efficiency. Repeat until you can fill your mixing bowl with four cups of mashed potatoes.

·      In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, dark rum, vanilla, and light coconut milk.  Add dark muscovado sugar and mix well.

·      In a small bowl sift China cassia cinnamon, ginger, mace, allspice and cloves. Add salt and cornstarch and mix thoroughly. Add the spice mixture to the wet mixture.

·      Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and incorporate.

·      Using a ladle fill two pie crusts with the sweet potato custard, smoothing the tops with the end of the ladle to ensure even baking.

·      Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

·      Cool on a rack for at least an hour.

·      Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Serve with a dollop of non-fat whipped cream.

Notes:

The North Carolina farmers who grow the Stokes Purple Sweet Potato used to be tobacco farmers. Their story is an interesting one. The Stokes Purple contains high concentrations of the phytochemical anthocyanin and is a variety of sweet potato native to North Carolina. When you buy them you support good health and local farming practices. You can buy Stokes Purple Sweet Potatoes at Whole Foods stores or you can purchase them online.

The best dark rum for Purple Potato Pirate Pie is one that has been used to soak raisins for pastry work. The resulting infusion contains the essence of dried fruit which adds flavor. You can make Glass Petal Smoke's Rum Raisin Scones and save the remaining dark rum for Purple Potato Pirate Pie (or Glass Petal Smoke's original Purple Sweet Potato Pie recipe).

Dark muscovado sugar has an intense aromatic bouquet. Unlike regular brown sugar (which has been washed, rinsed and colored) dark muscovado sugar retains all of the molasses and minerals present in sugar. This is immediately evident when you open up the bag and are greeted by a bouquet that includes notes of molasses, burnt caramel, coffee, oak, tobacco, cloves and chocolate. Dark muscovado sugar is the sugar of choice for making genuine rum hence its inclusion in this recipe.

Mexican Vanilla Extract is extraordinarily fragrant and high in vanillin (a naturally occurring molecule in vanilla bean responsible for its rich, creamy character). An eight ounce bottle costs $6.50 though you may want to buy a larger size to economize if you bake often. Certified Iranian Sargol Saffron available online. Glass Petal Smoke utilizes this spice in Gâteau Baiser De Safran (Saffron Kiss Cake).

Curious about the history of Captain William Kidd? Read "The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd," by  Richard Zacks. You can find an excerpt here.

September 19th is National Talk Like a Pirate Day. Talk Like a Pirate is the go-to site for fans of pirate history. It includes a Pirate-English generator.

The painting that accompanies this post is titled "Captain Kidd in New York Harbor".  It  was painted in 1920 by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris.

"O" is for Osmanthus: Explorations in Cake

Osmanthus is an ingredient that is gradually becoming familiar to the American palate. The dried blossoms are redolent of apricot, lemon and blonde leather, the later of which may seem unusual to the uninitiated palate. Saffron has the same animalic quality as osmanthus, but its leather note is rounded out by impressions of hay, honeyed musk, and almonds. How an ingredient is used in food preparation determines the way we perceive its flavor. The leatheric aspect of osmanthus is easily tempered when the blossoms are used to flavor tea or fowl, but osmanthus is especially delicious and well-tamed when used to make an infused sugar for pastry.

Making an infused sugar using osmanthus is quite simple. Dried osmanthus blossoms are combined with coarse grade sugar. The two ingredients are then ground together and allowed to macerate for at least a week. Glass Petal Smoke's recipe for Osmanthus Teacake makes use of this technique so you can experience the flavor of osmanthus. There's an added health benefit too; osmanthus blossoms are rich in carotenoid antioxidants. Go ahead. Have your cake and eat it too.

Osmanthus Teacake

Recipe by Michelle Krell Kydd 

Serves 9-12

Ingredients:

·      2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

·      ¼ cup golden flaxseed meal

·      1½ teaspoons baking powder (non-aluminum)

·      ¼ teaspoon baking soda

·      ½ teaspoon sea salt (non-iodized)

·      ½ cup raw cane (or turbinado) sugar for infused sugar

·      ½ cup dried Osmanthus petals for infused sugar

·      1 cup low fat, low sodium buttermilk (room temperature)

·      1 tablespoon almond extract

·      2 large eggs (slightly beaten, room temperature)

·      ⅓ cup sweet unsalted butter (melted and cooled)

·      3 ounces golden raisins

Directions for Making Infused Sugar:

·      Layer sugar and flowers in a spice grinder or mini food processor.

·      Grind ingredients together making sure that the sugar remains crystallized (over-grinding produces a powder). The result should be a sugar evenly tinged with the color of the flowers.

·      Store in a sealed glass jar until ready to use.

 Instructions:

·      Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

·      Grease one 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan (or three 5.75 x 3 inch loaf pans) with cooking spray.

·      In a large bowl, sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add sugar and flaxseed meal, blending well.

·      In a medium sized bowl, mix eggs, melted butter and extract.  Add buttermilk and incorporate.  If using dried fruit, add it to the wet mixture.

·      Make a well in the center of the bowl with the dry ingredients and add wet ones.  Combine wet and dry ingredients together, folding gently with a silicone spatula.  Be careful not to over mix.

·      Pour batter into prepared pans and spread evenly.  Bake for 45 to 55 minutes (30 – 35 minutes from smaller loaves), or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. 

·      Cool for ten minutes.  Remove from pans and place on wire rack to continue cooling.  Refrigerate or freeze for future use.  The large loaf yields 10-12 slices, the smaller loaf yields 5-6 slices.

Notes:

Dried Osmanthus Petals are available online from TeaSpring. The quality is superb and any flowers not used for baking can be infused with green tea for a delicious drink. Ten Ren Tea also carries Osmanthus, but dirt and particulate matter show up in this brand and it is not recommended.

Photograph of "Listening to Osmanthus," by Michelle Krell Kydd. 

Purple Sweet Potato Pie: An Exercise in Multisensory Baking

Baking engages every sense. We use our eyes to select ingredients and observe their transformation as they are combined. We listen to the sound of sugar hissing as it is poured into a bowl. We use our hands to work dough, sometimes noticing an uncanny resemblance to a body part or human flesh. We smell the aroma of butter, flour, sugar and eggs, and are immediately transported to another time; a time when small hands firmly grasped mixer beaters coated in raw pastry, our mouths whetted by appetites larger than paltry batter could yield. We felt the granular texture of sugar and the grit of grain against our butter moistened tongues. Years later we wonder; is there really any greater pleasure than this?

Ingredients are important for the quality and variety of experience they bring to the palate. When ingredients are particularly vibrant in color the multisensory experience of baking grows more expansive and transports the senses. In the case of the Stokes® Purple Sweet Potato the benefits extend beyond vision and taste; the potatoes contain a high concentration of the phytochemical anthocyanin, the same beneficial antioxidant found in blueberries. Watching the potato ricer exude deep purple strands has a way of making the sides of one's mouth curl up in a smile, a gentle reminder that baking can be fun and beautiful.

Purple Sweet Potato Pie

Recipe by Michelle Krell Kydd

Yield: Two Pies

Ingredients:  

·        4 cups Stokes® Purple Sweet Potatoes (baked, cooled and mashed with a ricer)

·        1 cup dark muscovado sugar (firmly packed)

·        1 cup light coconut milk

·        2 tbsp. dark rum

·        1 tsp. vanilla

·        4 large omega-3 eggs

·        4 tbsp. cornstarch

·        1 tbsp. ground China cassia cinnamon

·        1 tsp. ground cardamom

·        1 tsp. ground nutmeg

·        1 tsp. non-iodized sea salt

·        (2) Arrowhead Mills® prepared 9-inch Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Instructions:

Preparing the Potatoes

·        The day before you make the pie prepare 5 medium Stokes® Purple Sweet Potatoes for baking.

·        Preheat oven to 400F.

·        Gently rinse each potato using your fingers to rub off any surface dirt. Pat potatoes dry with a paper towel and check the potatoes to make sure they aren’t bruised, (if they are cut out what can’t be used and discard).

·       Using the tines of a fork poke holes in the surface of the potato. Wrap in aluminum foil with the poked side facing up. This will allow air to escape and prevent the potato from bursting in the oven.

·        Bake for 50-60 minutes at 400 degrees. When done, open the foil carefully (the purple juice can stain clothing and hands) and allow each potato to cool before re-wrapping and placing in the refrigerator overnight.

Preparing the Pies

·        Preheat oven to 325F.

·        Remove the skins from the potatoes and cut into half inch slices. Fill a potato ricer to the half point and mash the potatoes through the ricer, putting pressure on the ends of the handles for maximum efficiency. Repeat until you can fill your mixing bowl with four cups of mashed potatoes.

·        In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, dark rum, vanilla, and light coconut milk.

·        Add dark muscovado sugar, corn starch, China cassia cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and salt to the liquid mixture and mix well.

·        Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and incorporate.

·        Using a ladle fill two pie crusts with the sweet potato custard, smoothing the tops with the end of the ladle to ensure even baking.

·        Bake 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

·        Cool on a rack for at least an hour.

·        Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Serve with a dollop of non-fat Greek yogurt and garnish with pecans.

Notes:
Sweet potatoes are tubers and are related to the Morning Glory family of plants.

Stokes Purple Sweet Potatoes are available at select Whole Foods stores. You can also purchase them online. 

Glass Petal Smoke recommends the OXO® Ricer. Its ergonomic design makes it a pleasure to work with.

Okinawa Sweet Potatoes are less purple than the Stokes® and possess a flavor profile nuanced with spice. They will work in this recipe (as will regular sweet potatoes) and are available at Melissa's.

Orange Blossom Crumiri

Orange Blossom and Saffron were introduced to Italian taste buds by the Moors. As with many exotic ingredients from the east, they are considered aphrodisiac. The commingling of flavors in Crumiri (a classic Italian shortbread cookie) with exotic Orange Blossom and Saffron makes history come to life on the taste buds. One bite of these cookies and you'll agree; history never tasted so good.

Orange Blossom Crumiri
Recipe by Michelle Krell Kydd
Yield: approximately six dozen

Ingredients:

·        2 cups Hecker’s® All-Purpose Flour

·        ⅔ cups Arrowhead Mills® Organic Yellow Cornmeal

·        ½ teaspoon non-iodized sea salt

·        ½ cup (plus 5 tablespoons) unsalted Land O’ Lakes® Butter, at room temperature

·        ½ cup (plus 3 tablespoons) organic cane sugar

·        2 large eggs, at room temperature

·        4 drops food grade Neroli (orange blossom) oil*

·        zest of one small organic orange (blood orange if in season)

·        10 threads of saffron bled in a tablespoon of hot water

·        ¼ teaspoon Mexican vanilla extract

Instructions:

·        Divide oven racks into thirds and preheat the oven to 350°F.

·        Line two baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.

·        In a medium mixing bowl, sift and combine the flour, cornmeal, and salt. Mix well with a large silicone spatula.

·        Soften butter in the microwave for 15-30 seconds. It should be softened (not warm or transparent) when it is done.

·        Zest one small organic orange using a Microplane® zester.

·        Cream together butter, orange zest, Neroli oil and sugar. In a separate bowl beat the eggs, saffron and vanilla extract.

·        Add the butter mixture to the egg mixture and incorporate.

·        Combine wet ingredients with dry ones. Work the dough with the spatula for two minutes. The dough should be slightly resistant (not too tacky or hard).

·        Shape one teaspoonful of dough at a time by placing it between your hands and rolling it between the centers of your palms, pressing down very slightly. Place onto baking sheet in seven rows of five cookies each.

·        Bake for 15 minutes, turning and reversing trays from top to bottom at 7.5 minutes and continuing to bake for another 7.5 minutes or until slightly golden around the edges.

·        Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

·        Store in an airtight container.

Flavor and Fragrance Seduction Tip:

Odin 2 Owari is a refreshing unisex fragrance inspired by citrus. Glass Petal Smoke suggests sharing Orange Blossom Crumiri with someone you love while wearing Odin 2 Owari (the fragrance pays homage to Neroil in it's heart notes). Add two mimosas for imbibing and a memorable flavor and fragrance combination will be yours (among other things).

Notes:

Neroli and Orange Blossom are one and the same.

*If you don’t have access to food grade Neroli Oil you may use a tablespoon of Cortas® Orange Blossom Water (slightly more to taste if you enjoy the floralcy). Food grade Neroli Oil (which is steam distilled) is available from Enfleurage.

Not all essential oils are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration. Even those that are must be used with caution. They are highly concentrated and may cause damage to the lining of the esophagus and/or composite tooth fillings if used improperly (too high a dose). If you wish to make an extract from a GRAS essential oil you may do so at a ratio of 3% (3 drops of essential oil to 100 drops of high proof vodka). Always consult the FDA GRAS list to make sure you are using safe materials in cooking/baking. The list is currently in section 582.20 of the FDA code.

Absolutes (fragrant materials that aren't cold pressed or steam distilled) are not recommended for consumption as they have traces of the solvent hexane which is used to extract the essence.

Brian Eno, a musician/composer, is a big fan of essential oils. He's dedicated a full-length ambient recording to Neroli.

Orange Blossom fractal art by AZDude.

Cookies for Cancer is a charity that helps raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research. Think about making a donation of time &/or money to this cause; even if you just have milk money.

Glass Petal Smoke's recipe for Bergamot Crumiri can be found here.