Here in north Texas, the seasons are not so much defined as a slow mosey between the traditional two months of cool (also referred to locally as Winter) and the various pretend-seasons of Really Warm, Hot, and Hotter’n a Pistol. So it helps a transplanted northerner like me to occasionally do stuff that makes me feel a little more like there’s a change in the day, if not in the air. It matters less whether I do things that welcome the incoming time of year or ones that celebrate the last-hurrahs of the ending one, or, as often as not, things that bridge the gap in that same sidelong saunter as the so-called changes occur.
Since I do love autumn as much as any season, and it’s perhaps one of the less visible ones hereabouts, it’s fun to pull out recipes and treats that speak to me of the setting of summer’s sun and the rising of a harvest moon. I’m not a pumpkin fanatic like so many seem to be, and they, along with other squashes and root vegetables, are available pretty much all year long, but there is admittedly something compellingly autumnal in the scent and taste of these, roasted and seasoned just so. Anything that reinforces my sense of time, particularly when things get busy as they have been lately and I forget entirely what day it is, let alone what season. So here I am once again posting my Tuesday post on a Wednesday. I may be becoming more predictable than the seasons!
For a very easy to make little sweet that can pass for either a side dish or dessert, as need be, sweet potatoes or yams are a nice leaning-into-autumn treat that have more fiber and nutrients than the usual fluff, and are still both sweet and mild so they can be blended with quite a range of tastes successfully. In this case, I mean both our tastes and the number of flavors that meld well with sweet potatoes. As the end of summer is not yet fully fled, I can still find some juicy, ripe peaches, too, that magnificent fruit pregnant with late-season sun. Coincidentally, they share a warm, rich color palette with sweet potatoes, so they can be a lovely stealth ingredient in this dish, waiting to surprise tastebuds with their delectable and desirable intensity.
Sweet Potato-Peach Fluff
Baked or roasted sweet potato, peeled and pureed thoroughly. Equal amount of ripe peach flesh, uncooked, peeled, and also pureed. Blend them together thoroughly, adding (to your taste) browned butter, lime juice, salt, ground cardamom, and cinnamon. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold. A nice chilled glass of hard cider or freshly crushed non-alcoholic cider would not be amiss to wash this down, and it would go wonderfully with anything from a cheesy mushroom gratin to roasted duck breast, pit smoked ham to grilled cruciferous vegetables with walnuts. Or a big scoop of dulce de leche ice cream!
Yeah, it’s always good to remember that too much of a good thing is a great thing.
Art-Colored Glasses 
Dear Kathryn, I have nominated your blog for the One Lovely Blog Award. Please do visit my post to find out more: https://ramaink.wordpress.com/2015/10/08/one-lovely-blog-award/
Yaye! And much love! ❤
Thank you, my darling Rama! I went ‘awards-free’ a little while ago because of time (and it’s gotten particularly tight on that front lately), but I thank you for the gracious nomination, and I am so delighted that you were recognized with the award yourself, being deeply deserving.
Much love to you, too, my sweet! 😀
Thank you! XOXOXOXO..
Thank you, dearest Kathryn!!
Never would have thought to combine peach with sweet potato, Kathryn, but, I must admit that this does sound good. 🙂
I, in turn, love that you used Physalis for a salsa, the perfect place for them, if you ask me. I’ve only known them as dessert garnishes, having never seen or tasted them until one European/Scandinavian adventure or another, so it never occurred to me to think of them in less strictly-sweet ways even though I think their taste lends them even more to the accenting-the-savory side. You nailed it!!! And yes, sweet potato and peach played together quite equably. 😀
xo
My next adventure will be to try to make a tart of some sort with them. That will have to wait until next year, though. I’ve run out of time and the markets will be closing soon. 😦
Knowing you, you’ll never lack for seasonal inspirations between the brief visits of the ground cherries. (I just wrote “cheeries,” an apt typo considering their sunny mien!). Cheers!
xo
Autumn always seems to bring out the most delicious and cozy recipes! This is definitely a fall favorite we will have to try out. Reminds me a little bit of the sweet potato casserole with marshmallow, but a grown up version! Wonderful post =)
If you miss the marshmallow bit at all, I would definitely find this recipe happily adapted to including a little maple syrup in the mix! 😀
You should publish food photography. After illustrating the children’s books. =)
I’m such a slowpoke, especially these days!!! But the books are still in the works. As for food photography, I’m too dangerously inclined to eat the stuff before I can shoot it (suddenly struck by an image of a loping bison with me hanging on by my teeth), never mind my utter lack of technical chops with any camera. I’m still pleased that you like my attempts, though!
Lots of love,
Kath
Hope all’s well in AHJ land lately—I’m so overbooked (no pun intended) right now that I’m hardly getting to my correspondence, let alone reading anywhere else in more than a moment’s fly-by, but I hope after this heavy semester I can get back to a bit more visiting!!! xo
kathryn, I haven seen any mail from you…
( annaknils@gmail.com )
Glad you sent this link, my dear Anna! I’m so looking forward to connecting in STK! ❤
So am I!!!!! 🙂