Purple Potato Gratin with Salmon Mousseline and Beurre Blanc

I bought Peruvian purple fingerling potatoes at the Farmers' market. Purple potatoes have a subtle grainy texture and I thought they'd pair perfectly with salmon mousseline.

Beurre blanc sounds like a sophisticated element in a French dish, but it's really just a white wine butter sauce. It's quite common in France and is often paired with poached fish and steamed vegetables. I think that it complements the crunchy potatoes and velvety salmon mousseline quite well. I finished each dish with a dollop of crème fraîche, some fresh dill and a couple of pink peppercorns. It's a feast for the eyes as well your taste buds.

Sweet Mashed Potatoes with Maple Syrup Roasted Bananas

I make sweet mashed potatoes whenever the girls get bored with regular old mashed potatoes. It's a great alternative. The mild sweetness contrasts well with many savory main courses, especially fish.

I was steaming sweet potatoes for dinner today, while our little munchkin was eating a roasted banana I had just made for her. Roasted bananas are one of my childhood favorite desserts and I make them for the girls whenever they want a snack. 

"Jackie, what are you making?" she asked, while scooping the soft banana. 

"I'm making sweet potato purée for dinner."

"Can I help?"

"Of course, mon p'tit coeur (my sweetheart)" I said.

I let her pass the sweet potatoes through the food mill. She tasted it and asked "Can we add some of the roasted bananas to the sweet potatoes?" Isn't my little 5-year-old sister-in-law a culinary genius? We roasted the bananas with maple syrup to enhance the sweetness a bit. I added mustard and nutmeg to keep the dish savory, but the real credit goes to my munchkin.

Pommes Rissolees (French Browned Potatoes)

Pommes rissolées are a French classic. They are crisp, cube-shaped, pan-fried potatoes flavored with herbs.

I made one batch the traditional way by cooking it in duck fat, but for the vegetarians in our house, I made a similar version with a combination of oil and butter. I added ground saffron and a hint of cayenne pepper for color and flavor, which are non-traditional but really enhance the final result.

We had a huge bag of potatoes left from Thanksgiving grocery shopping and I couldn't think of a better way to finish them off. I hadn't made this French classic for the family since our last visit to Paris. It immediately took us all back in time to the open air markets, the Rodin Museum, and the picnic we had in the Jardin de Luxembourg. Food can be many things, and today it was a trip down memory lane. And what delicious memories they are!

Fluffy Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes

When Lulu and I first got married, we invited Lulu's uncle and his family over for dinner. I made grilled steaks and pommes mousseline (mashed potatoes in French). Five years later they still talk about the meal, so here is the recipe for my garlic mashed potatoes just in time for Thanksgiving.

The secret to incredibly fluffy mashed potatoes is to use a combination of heavy cream, crème fraîche and butter. I know, it's not the healthiest mashed potato recipe, but once you try it, you'll never want to go back. For added flavor, I roasted a head of garlic and squeezed the contents into the dish, along with chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Try to resist. I dare you!

Vietnamese Sweet Potato and Shrimp Tempura

In Vietnam, there's a sweet potato and shrimp dish, khoai lan chiên tôm, that is served on many street corners. Three match-sticks of sweet potato are dipped in a tempura batter and then a whole shrimp is adhered to them. A little more tempura batter is drizzled on the sweet potato / shrimp combination and then the whole thing is deep fried.

This dish may not at first glance be considered Thanksgiving-friendly, but I think it's an excellent option. Tradition may have become synonymous with Thanksgiving, but the very first Thanksgiving was really a celebration of a fusion of cultures through food. So if you're searching for an alternative to the traditional Thanksgiving preparations of sweet potatoes, perhaps it's time to look east. To the Far East, that is.