Miso Glazed Japanese Sweet Potatoes

https://www.afamilyfeast.com/miso-glazed-japanese-sweet-potatoes/

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds Japanese sweet potatoes

½ cup canola oil

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon finely minced garlic

2 tablespoons white miso

1 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium if available)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon water

1 or more tablespoons sesame seeds

---

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Leave the skins on the potatoes and cut away any spots or blemishes, then cut into 1½ inch cubes, skin left on. Place into a large bowl as you cut and drizzle on some of the oil to coat, which will stop them from oxidizing (turning brown) in the air. Continue cutting and oiling using up all of the oil.

Sprinkle on the pepper as you toss the oiled potatoes so the pepper gets distributed evenly. Then pour out onto a foil lined sheet pan and place in the oven in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes, remove from oven and flip the potatoes then roast for 15 minutes more or until tender.

While potatoes are roasting, make the glaze by heating a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat with the butter and sesame oil. Add garlic and cook for two minutes then remove from heat and stir in the miso, soy, brown sugar and water. Stir to mix then set aside. It won’t look like much but it is just enough to glaze the potatoes.

When the potatoes come out of the oven, return the skillet to high heat and pour in the cooked potatoes, including any oil left on the sheet pan.

Use a rubber spatula or turner and gently toss the potatoes and glaze until they are coated. Cook just long enough to crisp them up a bit then remove from heat and sprinkle on the sesame seeds while tossing with the spatula. The seeds will stick to all wet surfaces. If you wait too long, the potato surface will dry and the sesame seeds won’t stick.

Serve immediately.

Shocking no subs except chopped pine nuts for sesame seeds! 

Brussel sprouts with brown butter and black garlic

https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/brussels_sprouts_with_00057

450g/1lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half lengthways 

1 tbsp olive oil

pinch caraway seeds

12 black garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves

30g/1oz unsalted butter

30g/1oz pumpkin seeds, toasted

1½ tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp tahini

salt

1. Preheat the oven to 240C/220C Fan/Gas 9. Line a baking tray with baking paper. 
2. Mix the sprouts with the oil and pinch of salt in a large bowl. Spread out on the baking tray and roast for 10 minutes, or until the sprouts are golden brown but still crunchy.
3. Meanwhile, lightly crush the caraway seeds with a pestle and mortar. Add the black garlic and thyme and crush to form a rough paste.
4. Heat the butter in a large sauté pan over a medium–high heat. Cook for 3 minutes, until melted and dark brown. Add the crushed garlic paste, sprouts, pumpkin seeds and a pinch of salt. Stir for 30 seconds and then take off the heat. Stir in the lemon juice and transfer to a serving bowl or individual plates. Drizzle over the tahini and serve immediately
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Brown Butter Swiss Meringue

https://www.marthastewart.com/353415/swiss-meringue-buttercream

• 5 large egg whites 

  1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

• Pinch of salt 
• 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, room temperature

1. Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips). 
2. 2. Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes. 
3. 3. With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day. If not, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes. 
4. 4. To tint buttercream, reserve some for toning down the color, if necessary. Add gel-paste food color, a drop at a time (or use the toothpick or skewer to add food color a dab at a time) to the remaining buttercream. You can use a single shade of food color or experiment by mixing two or more. Blend after each addition with the mixer (use a paddle attachment) or a flexible spatula, until desired shade is achieved. Avoid adding too much food color too soon, as the hue will intensify with continued stirring; if necessary, you can tone down the shade by mixing in some reserved untinted buttercream.

1/2 c butter, browned, then cooked in fridge
2 egg whites
1/2 c sugar
Pinch of salt

Caramel Brown Butter Rice Pudding

https://food52.com/recipes/2338-caramel-rice-pudding-with-brown-butter-and-creme-fraiche

• 2tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2tablespoons creme fraiche, plus more for serving
• 6cups whole milk
• Seeds from 1/2 a vanilla bean
• 1/4teaspoon sea salt
• 3/4cup arborio rice
  
  
  
  Directions
  1. 1. Put the butter in a 3 quart heavy saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter stops foaming, and you see orangey brown specks start to appear, stir gently with a wooden spoon. After a minute or two, when the specks are nut brown and the butter smells nice and toasty, sprinkle ¼ cup of sugar over the butter and stir to combine. (It will clump up a little, but don’t worry!)
  2. 2. Switch to a whisk, and cook the butter and sugar, whisking all the time, until the sugar has melted and the mixture becomes a smooth, rich brown caramel, about 5 minutes. (Early on, the butter and sugar will separate, and the butter will pool around the edges of the sugar, but never fear! Once the sugar has fully melted, the two will start to come together again, and you’ll have a nice smooth caramel.)
  3. 3. When the caramel is a rich nut brown and starts to smoke, remove the pan from the heat and quickly and carefully whisk in the crème fraiche and about 1/2 a cup of the milk. Don’t worry if the mixture bubbles up when you do this – it’ll settle down again quickly. (This step cools off the caramel and keeps it from cooking further.) Return the pan to the heat and whisk in the rest of the milk, the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar, the vanilla seeds and the salt. If the caramel seizes a little, just keep whisking until the mixture becomes smooth again. 
  4. 4. Switch back to the wooden spoon and stir in the rice. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the milk is simmering steadily and cook the rice pudding uncovered for about 25 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan, especially towards the end. The rice should be tender but not mushy, and the pudding should thicken but still be quite loose – remember that it will thicken a lot more while it’s cooling. Transfer the pudding to a container, cover and refrigerate until cold. Serve in individual bowls with a dollop of crème fraiche.