Maybe you’ve got a finals week potluck on the horizon, or want toimpress the parentals come winter break. Try this deceptively simple twist on the classic latke, courtesy of my mother, Epicurious and my own penchant for tinkering with condiment pairings. Once the gelt has been gobbled up and you’ll implode if another saccharine Christmas song comes on the radio, forgo the latkes and try the pears and yogurt as a hasty and healthy dessert option.Sweet Potato Latkes with Poached Pears and Spiced YogurtSweet Potato Latkes
Ingredients:1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and coarsely grated 1 onion, finely chopped 2 scallions, finely chopped 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3/4 cup vegetable oilDirections:Stir together potatoes, scallions, flour, eggs, salt, and pepper. Heat oil in a deep 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not sizzling. Spoon a couple small handfuls of the sweet potato mixture into oil and flatten into disks approximately three inches in diameter each with a spatula. Reduce heat to moderate and cook until golden – about a minute and a half on each side. Transfer latkes with spatula to paper towels to drain. Makes about 25 modestly-sized pancakes.
Poached Pears and Spiced Yogurt
Ingredients:5 pears, cored [any variety will do; the slightly mushier, the better]Approx. 1 bottle rose wine [yes, you can polish off last night’s.Two-Buck Chuck or the remainder of a half-slapped Franzia bag]1 tablespoon ground cinnamon1 teaspoon ground nutmeg3 whole cinnamon sticksA few packets sugar [whatever Norbucks has on hand will do – raw brownsugar; Splenda if that’s your legal crack of choice…]Butter, to taste1/4 juiced lemon (to taste)1 large container Fage or Oikos plain Greek yogurt [the fat percentage? that’s up to you]1/2 cup chopped walnutsAdditional cinnaMonday, nutmeg and sugar to taste (for the Spiced Yogurt)Directions:Mix the wine, lemon juice, spices and sugar. Set the pears in a large microwave-safe dish, and douse with the aforementioned mixture. Insert 1/2 a cinnamon stick in the cored center of each pear, and adorn with a pat of butter as desired. Microwave until tender enough to pierce with a knife, or around 6-8 minutes. Let cool; in the interim, mix the Greek yogurt with walnuts and spices to taste. Slather liberally on the pears and/or latkes.
