Honey Glazed Ham on Sweet Potato Biscuits with Blackberry-Balsamic Drizzle

Sometimes when I visit my in-laws in the South, they serve delicate little ham biscuits (usually on special occasions, as hors d'oeuvres). These are really nothing like those, except that there's a biscuit and there's ham. But the biscuit is totally different (bigger and sweet potato) and the ham is honey glazed, not extra salty, country heart attack ham (which everybody loves, but hopefully no one has an actual heart attack at your party). These are more hearty (although one is definitely too small for lunch - you'd probably need 3 or 4). They may not be big, but there's a lot of flavor packed into these petite sammies. The biscuit is slightly sweet. The ham is salty. The arugula is a little bitter and crunchy. The drizzle is tangy and sweet. Sound delightful? It is.

Side thought: Why do people call sandwiches sammies? Last time I checked, there's no m in there anywhere. Come to think of it, I've also called my daughter punkin. But I use it on those days that she's acting like a cross between a pumpkin and a punk.

HONEY GLAZED HAM ON SWEET POTATO BISCUITS

WITH BLACKBERRY-BALSAMIC DRIZZLE

Yield: 14 biscuits

Sweet Potato Biscuits:

1 pound sweet potatoes (2 to 3 potatoes)

2 tablespoons buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks cold butter, small diced

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled

Blackberry Balsamic Drizzle:

1 (12 to 13 oz.) jar blackberry preserves

1 cup packed fresh basil leaves, stems and all

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup yellow mustard, such as French's

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 serrano chile, split in half

14 slices honey baked ham (or your favorite ham), torn into pieces to fit the biscuits

arugula, for serving

1.      For the biscuits: Preheat oven to 425˚ F. Poke the sweet potatoes with the tines of a fork and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Let the potatoes cool, and then peel them, discarding the skins.

2.      In a food processor, puree the potatoes with the buttermilk and nutmeg until smooth.

3.      Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. With your fingertips or a dough cutter, cut in the cold butter until pea-size chunks are formed. Fold in the sweet potato puree until just combined, being careful not to overwork.

4.      Dust a work surface with some flour and turn the biscuit dough onto the counter. Form the dough into a 3/4-inch-thick disc. Using a 2 1/4-inch round biscuit cutter, cut out 14 biscuits, starting on the outside of the disk and working your way in. You may need to reshape the last bits of dough back into a disk to get all 14 rounds.

5.      Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with the vegetable oil and place the biscuits in the skillet, working from the center out. The biscuits should be a tight fit and nestled against each other. Brush the biscuit tops with the melted butter and bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes.

6.      For the blackberry balsamic drizzle: Combine the preserves, basil, vinegar, mustard, peppercorns and chile in a medium saucepot on the stove. Set over medium heat. Simmer the sauce until thickened, 7 to 10 minutes. Strain the reduction through a fine sieve. Thin with water if needed.

7.      For the sandwich build: Split the hot biscuits, place some of the torn ham on the bottom half, drizzle the Blackberry Balsamic Drizzle over the ham and then pile some arugula on top for a peppery bite.

from Jeff Mauro

sweet potatoes

baked sweet potatoes

peeled sweet potatoes, buttermilk & nutmeg

sweet potato puree

flour, brown sugar, baking soda & salt

adding butter

butter mixed; adding sweet potato puree

mixed

sweet potato biscuit dough

cutting into rounds

in the pan

brushing with butter

brushed with butter

baked

sweet potato biscuits

blackberry-balsamic drizzle ingredients

mixing & cooking

straining

blackberry-balsamic drizzle

drizzling the drizzle on top of
ham (well, spooning/drizzling)

drizzled

topped with arugula and biscuit top

.

Brown Sugar-Balsamic Swirl Ice Cream

I think this ice cream must appeal to the same part of me that can't get enough sweet/salty. Only I would describe this wonderfully unusual combination as more sweet/tart or sweet/tangy maybe. Of course there's no need to label it. Although for a minute there I was kind of pleased with myself because I thought I came up with a new term. I was going to call it deluscious. But then I googled it and apparently 465,000 other people already had the same idea, so I'm feeling kind of gloomancholy (no results, I checked).

BROWN SUGAR-BALSAMIC SWIRL ICE CREAM

Makes 1 generous quart

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 cups whole milk

3/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar, divided

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

6 large egg yolks

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1.       Combine cream, milk, and 1/2 cup sugar in heavy large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.

2.       Meanwhile, whisk yolks and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl until very thick, about 2 minutes.

3.       Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until custard thickens and thermometer inserted into custard registers 180° F, about 3 minutes (do not boil). Strain custard into large bowl set over another bowl of ice and water. Cool custard completely, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Cover and chill overnight.

4.       Boil balsamic vinegar in heavy small saucepan until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 6 minutes. Cool syrup in pan.

5.       Process custard in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. When ice cream is done, spoon in balsamic syrup and churn 3 to 4 seconds longer to swirl. Transfer ice cream to container. Cover and freeze until firm, at least 6 hours.

from Bon Appétit, December 2009 by Gabrielle Hamilton

split vanilla bean (it's hard to see all the teeny tiny
seeds, but there in there, bursting with flavor).

cream, milk, brown sugar and vanilla

whisking the yolks and brown sugar

about to pour the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture
(I had to stop at this point and put down the camera so my other
hand was free to whisk so the eggs wouldn't scramble).

most of the hot cream mixture whisked in

back in the pot, thickening

straining the thickened custard

The recipe says to chill overnight, but after sitting in
the ice bath for a while, I only chilled it until it was
very cold (probably 3 hours). No problem.

in the ice cream machine

balsamic vinegar

reduced balsamic (it thickens a little as it cools)

ice cream ready

drizzling in the balsamic reduction

about to swirl

swirled

.