Here come the Puffs in Sweet Potato, Broccoli Cheese, and Turnip

As my favorite guinne pigs will attest the puffs were giving me a few issues, to say the least. I will start with the one that gave me the greatest difficulty, the dreaded Turnip Puffs. Turnips, if not properly prepared have a distinct bitterness, which many people object to. I ultimately changed 3 things in the recipe that overcame this issue. The first thing was to boil the turnips instead of baking them. The second was after mashing the turnips I drained them in a colander to get rid of the bitter liquid. The last thing, thanks to a dear friends suggestions, I added a little bit of bosc pear which added a touch of sweetness and blended beautifully with the complex flavor of the turnip. Even people that do not like turnip liked these. CATEGORY: Appetizers/finger food Recipe Name: Turnip Puffs Ingredients: 1/2 shallot 1 egg 4 c turnip 1/2 lb swiss 3 oz bacon 1/2 bosch pear Steps: * Bring turnips to a boil in 1 gallon water then simmer for 1 hour * Drain and set aside to cool * Once cooled cut off both ends and rub skin off with your fingers or a washcloth * Mash turnips then set in colander for 1+ hours to drain * Dice bacon and cook over medium heat until well rendered * Mince shallot then cook in with bacon and dripping for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently * Mix in turnip and remove from heat * puree pear and add to turnip mix * grate cheese and mix in * drop by large spoonfuls onto a parchment lined cookie sheet * bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes until it browns around the edges NOTES: This could also be done as turnip pie, in a pie tin. To do this lower the temperature to 325 and probably bake it for 1 hour. I would advise making it no more than 1 inch thick. The broccoli cheese puff is more of a cornbread mini-muffin. CATEGORY: Appetizers/finger food Recipe Name: Broccoli Cheese Puff Ingredients: 1 lb frozen cut broccoli ( 1 1/2 head broccoli) 1 1/2 c yellow cornmeal 2/3 c AP flour 1/2 T garlic 1/2 T baking powder 1 t salt 1 qt milk 3 egg 2 T butter 1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated Steps: * simmer broccoli in milk until it is reduced by half, add butter to melt * let cool * mix all ingredients together * fill greased mini muffin tins to level with mixture * bake at 375 for 20 minutes * let cool in pan for about 2 minutes then turn over to dump out NOTES: If the cheese is grated it is more subtle. If you want the cheese to be more prevalent in the appearance chop it up instead of grating. The sweet potato puffs continue to be a crowd favorite. CATEGORY: Appetizers/finger food Recipe Name: sweet potato puffs Ingredients: 2 lb sweet potatoes 1/3 c butter 1/2 t grated orange peel 1/4 t cardamom 2 eggs, beaten 2 T candied ginger, chopped Steps: * Bake sweet potatoes at 500 for about 1 hour until soft * cool * scoop out sweet potatoes and mix with all other ingredients * fill greased mini muffin tins to level with mixture * bake at 375 for 30 minutes * cool for a few minutes before removing from pan NOTES: This would also make a great pie, with or without crust just bake at 325 for 1 hour or until firm