Crescent City Cooking

Sweet Potato Brioche

Makes about 20 rolls
Prep time: 30 minutes prep time, 6 hours rising time

This recipe was adapted from one I found in the Jackson, Mississippi, Junior League cookbook, Come on In! We have served them at Bayona forever, and they go fast. The sweet potato gives these rolls a beautiful color and rich, moist texture.

1 envelope active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup mashed baked sweet potato (approximately 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes)

5 eggs plus 1 beaten egg

1/4 cup whole milk

31/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 pound (2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small pieces

In a small bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 teaspoon sugar in 2 tablespoons warm water. Place the mashed sweet potato in the bowl of a mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat 1 minute at medium speed, then add the 5 eggs, milk, and yeast mixture and beat for 1 minute. Add the flour, the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt and mix for about 5 minutes at medium speed. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes, then beat in the cold butter, a third at a time. Remove the bowl, cover it lightly with plastic wrap, and allow the dough to rise at room temperature until doubled in size.

Close your hands into fists and gently punch down the dough to release air pockets and reduce its size. Cover the dough and place it in the refrigerator to rise overnight, or at least 6 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and scoop it into a buttered 6-cup brioche mold, 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, or individual molds (such as buttered muffin tins). Allow the dough to rise at room temperature until doubled.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400F. Brush the surface of the dough with the beaten egg and prick it in several places with a toothpick. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 325F and continue baking until golden brown, about 20 more minutes for a large mold, or about 10 minutes for individual rolls. Cool for 10 minutes in the molds, then invert and cool completely on a wire rack.


Cotillion

Makes one cocktail

5–6 fresh basil leaves, plus one for garnish

1 sugar cube

1 ounce Cointreau or triple sec

1 1/2 ounces Patron or other silver tequila

5 ounces orange juice, preferably fresh-squeezed

Using a wooden spoon or "muddler," mash the basil with the sugar cube and Cointreau in a tall Collins glass. Fill the glass with crushed ice and add the tequila and orange juice. Stir with a long spoon or straw and garnish with a basil leaf.


Jalapeño-roast Pork
Makes 8 to 10 servings

This slow-roasted pork dish came to me from my Bayona partner, Regina Keever.The succulent meat lends itself to two fantastic preparations. For a Latin-inspired meal, serve it with Green Rice (p. 309). Or make ciabatta sandwiches with Pickled Cabbage and Creole Mustard (p. 154), from the leftovers.

1 boneless pork shoulder (about 6 pounds)
Juice and zest of 2 oranges (about 2/3 cup)
2 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Rinse the pork shoulder and pat dry. Using a paring knife, make several 1/2-inch-deep incisions on both sides of the meat. Mix the juice, jalapeños, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, and oil, either by hand or by pulsing in a food processor until just mixed. Rub the meat with the mixture, being sure to massage some down into the incisions.

Place the meat in a roasting pan fat side up, cover with foil, and roast for 3-4 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender. Cool, remove it from the pan, then shred or slice the pork as desired. After the meat has been removed, add a little water or broth to the roasting pan and stir to dissolve any brown bits, then strain the juices and pour them back over the sliced or shredded meat.


Molasses Gingerbread with Lime Cream
Serves 4


Moist, spicy gingerbread is one of those simple desserts that people tend to associate fondly with childhood holidays. For me, it harks back to the Christmas seasons that I spent as a kid in Europe where gingerbread is particularly popular. Blending a mixture of baking soda and boiling water into molasses has a magical transforming effect in the oven. The light brown batter becomes very dark, rich, and deeply flavored when baked. Fragrant with warm, fresh ginger, this gingerbread is very moist, simple to make, and irresistible. Lime Cream is an unexpected—but perfect—partner. The recipe makes enough cream for one gingerbread cake. Any leftover cream is delicious slathered over toasted pound cake, buttermilk biscuits, or brioche. Don't reserve this recipe just for holiday baking—it will make your family sublimely happy all year long.

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, plus more for buttering the pan
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
1 cup unsulfured molasses
2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
Lime Cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F, and butter an 8-inch square pan.

Melt the stick of butter, pour into a large bowl, and allow it to cool slightly. Beat the sugar and eggs into the butter. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and grated ginger.

Bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a samll saucepan. Using a wooden spoon, stir the molasses and soda solution into the water. Whisk the dry ingredients into the sugar and eggs, then stir in the molasses mixture.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes to an hour, testing for doneness with a wodden toothpick in the center of the cake (it should pull out clean and free of batter). Another indicator is that the cake will pull away from the sides of the pan when it's done. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the rim of the pan to loosen the cake, and invert it onto a cooling rack and cool completely. Cut into squares and serve with Lime Cream (see below).


Lime Cream

2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
Zest of 1 lime, grated (about 1 tablespoon)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup heavy cream


In the bowl of an electric mixer, use the whisk attachment to whip the eggs and sugar at high speed until double in volume and light in color. Lower the speed and blend in the lime juice and zest.

Pour the egg mixture into a medium metal bowl placed over a pot of simmering water (or a double boiler). Cook over high heat, whisking often, until smooth, very thick, and custardlike (about 20 minutes). Remove from the heat and use a wooden spoon to stir in the butter, a few pieces at a time, until it is fully incorporated. If the final mixture is lumpy, strain through a fine sieve. Otherwise, cool to room temperature.
Using an electric mixer or a wire whisk, whip the heavy cream into soft peaks. Gently fold a fourth of the whipped cream into the lime curd. Then fold in the remaining whipped cream.