This is my most-requested recipe for the holidays.  My family has been making this dish for many years, and we never get tired of it.  It is typically served as a side dish but can also be enjoyed as a decadent dessert.  And one more thing about this dish – there is rarely any left over! 

Ingredients
For the base:
3 medium sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
½ t. salt
2 eggs
3 T. butter, melted
½ cup whole milk
1 t. vanilla

 For the topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/2 stick (4 T.) butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup oats
1 cup chopped pecans

You will also need:
Baking pan or cookie sheet for sweet potatoes
Parchment paper
Potato masher or food processor
Baking dish or individual baking dishes
Medium-sized bowl
Large spoon

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Line the baking pan or cooking sheet with parchment paper.

Wash and dry the outside of the sweet potato skins. Place them on top of the parchment paper on the baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes, until caramelized and soft. Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and set aside to cool.

Reduce the temperature in the oven to 350°F.  

Peel the sweet potatoes and place them into the bowl of a food processor. Add the sugar, salt, eggs, butter, milk and vanilla. Mix all ingredients together until smooth.  Note that you can use a potato masher for this step instead of a food processor, if you prefer.

Pour the mixture into a baking dish or individual baking dishes.

Place all topping ingredients into a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix well.

Mixture should be moist and lumpy. Scatter this mixture evenly over the top of the sweet potatoes in the baking dish(es). Bake at 350°F for about 35 minutes.

You can make this dish ahead of time by refrigerating the sweet potato mixture in the baking dish and then adding the topping just before baking.

Serves 6-8 people as a side dish.

Note: A wonderful accompaniment to this salad is Goosecross Cellars’ Napa Valley Viognier. Their latest release is available now at: www.goosecross.com. You will love this pairing!

Ingredients
Fresh greens
5-6 fresh pears, peeled (or not) and freshly sliced
½ cup pistachio nuts
2 T. butter
2 T. sugar
¼ cup olive oil
2 T. champagne or other favorite vinegar
2 T. honey
Salt and pepper

You will also need:
Salad plates
Paring knife
Small skillet
Glass for assembling dressing
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups
Spoon for stirring dressing

Instructions
To make the candied pistachio nuts:
Melt the butter in the skillet and add the sugar. Cook on medium heat until the sugar has totally melted. Add the pistachio nuts and sauté for about a minute until nuts are toasted. Remove from heat and turn out onto parchment paper. Separate nuts to keep from sticking together. Let cool.

To make the dressing:
Mix together the olive oil, vinegar and honey. Add a couple of pinches of salt and pepper. Set aside.

To assemble the salad:
Place several leaves of lettuce on each plate. Decorate with the pear slices. Add the candied nuts. Just before serving, drizzle with the salad dressing. 6-8 people.

Ingredients
5 medium cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 ½ cups plain yogurt
¼ cup sour cream
Sea salt and pepper
3 T chopped fresh dill
Fresh lemon juice, to taste
Cucumber slices, dill sprigs, for garnish
Extra virgin olive oil (The Arbosana from California Olive Ranch tastes great in this dish.)

You will also need:
Utility knife
Blender
Large bowl
Soup bowls

Instructions
In a blender, puree the chopped cucumbers, yogurt and sour cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill soup until ready to eat. Before serving, stir in dill and lemon juice. Garnish with cucumber slices and dill sprigs. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Serves 4.

These are some of my favorite cheeses for a cheese plate:

Pierre-Robert – a cow’s milk triple-cream cheese from the Champagne region of France.  Has added creme fraiche for even more creaminess and flavor.

Piave Vecchio – a cow’s milk cheese from the Italian Alps.  Vecchio means “aged”, and this cheese has been aged to the point of having a nice, nutty, caramel-like  flavor and a bit of a crunchiness due to the salt deposits within the cheese.

Humboldt Fog – a goat’s milk cheese from the Cypress Grove cheese company in Humboldt County, California.  When cut, it is said to be reminiscent of the morning fog rolling in.

Banon – a goat’s milk cheese from the Provence region of France.  It is wrapped in a chestnut leaf and soaked in eau-de-vie and then allowed to age for several weeks.  The resulting product is creamy with a taste of nuttiness.

Abbaye de Beloc – a sheep’s milk cheese from the Pyrenees region of France.This cheese is normally aged for several months and has a mellow flavor.

Roaring 40’s – a blue cow’s milk cheese from Tasmania.  This cheese has a nice, ripe flavor with a bit of saltiness.  I like to serve it with honeycomb.

Be sure to experiment with a variety of  breads and condiments, as well as with wines for pairings.