Peanut Butter, Sweet Potato, and Winter Squash Soup

4 lbs. sugar pumpkin or acorn squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1" pieces
1 lb yams, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
4 Tbs unsalted butter
5 cups Winter Consomme, recipe follows
1 tsp Vege-Sal seasoning (can sub plain salt)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup unsalted sugarless peanut butter
1/2 cup sour cream, room temp (optional)
2 scallions, chopped

In a large pot of salted water, boil the pumpkin and sweet potatoes over high heat until both are tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well. Puree the mixture until smooth.

In 5-qt Dutch oven or soup kettle, melt butter over medium heat. Add the puree. Gradually stir in consomme, Vege-Sal, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer, stirring often, about 15 minutes to blend flavors.

Whisk peanut butter with 1 cup hot soup. Stir this back into pot of soup. Heat until just heated throughout. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of scallions.

Winter Garden Vegetarian Consomme

This also tastes great just sipping it on a cold day. Makes about 2 quarts.

2 med onions, chopped
2 celery ribs with leaves,chopped
2 med carrots, chopped
2 med Russet potatoes, scrubbed but unpeeled, cut into 2" pieces
1 whole head garlic, unpeeled, halved horizontally
2 sprigs parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp peppercorns
2-1/2 qts water

Inn a 5-qt soup kettle, bring all ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. (Don't boil or the potato may fall apart and cloud the consomme.) Carefully spoon the consomme and its vegetables through a sieve set over a large bowl. Cool the broth completely; cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Freezes well.

Ginger Custard Ice Cream

A very refreshing ice cream.

1/2 lb fresh ginger, peeled and sliced paper-thin
2 cups water
2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 envelope plain unflavored gelatin
2 cups milk, chilled
1/8 tsp salt
2 large eggs, separated, at room temp
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy cream

In a small saucepan, bring the ginger and water to a simmer over low heat. Cook, covered, until the ginger is quite soft, about an hour. You may need to add more water. Process the ginger and cooking liquid in a blender until smooth.

Return the ginger puree to the saucepan. Gently cook until it reduces to 1/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup of the sugar and cook, stirring often, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is quite thick, about 5 minutes. Set aside.

In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup of the cold milk. Let stand for 5 minutes.

In heavy saucepan, combine remaining 1-3/4 cups milk, 1-1/2 cups sugar, and salt. Bring just to a low simmer. 

Beat the egg whites just until stiff peaks form.

Whisk yolks until thickened and pale yellow. Gradually whisk in the hot milk mixture. Return to the saucepan and whisk in the egg whites. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 170 degrees on the thermometer. Remove from heat; add gelatin mixture. Whisk until dissolved. Whisk in reserved ginger jam. Using a wooden spoon, rub the mixture through a fine-meshed strainer to remove the ginger fibers. Stir in half and half.

Whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Whisk this into ginger custard. Chill at lest 4 hours. Freeze according to you ice cream maker's directions.

Rum-Baked Sweet Potatoes

This is a great sweet potato recipe if you don't want that gooey-sweet concoction we usually associate with candied sweet potatoes.

6 medium sweet potatoes, peeled

1/3 cup butter

1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar

2/3 cup dark rum

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Place the potatoes in a large pot of lightly salted boiling water. Cover and boil for 15 to 20 minutes, or until still slightly firm when pierced with a fork. Drain and cut each sweet potato into quarters. Place them in a single layer in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat; add the brown sugar, rum and orange juice. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to break up any lumps of sugar. Reduce the heat and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and slightly caramelized. Stir in the allspice.

Drizzle the rum mixture over the sweet potatoes. Gently turn the potatoes in the glaze to coat all sides. Season with salt and pepper. (You can prepare to this point as much as a couple of days ahead.) Bake 20-25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the potatoes are heated through and tender.

Makes 12 servings.