Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Fried Green Tomato and BBQ Tempeh Stacks with Bourbon Whipped Sweet Potatoes



I apologize for not being more timely with blogging these recipes. Last week I had the great pleasure of going to Cincinnati for my nephew/godson's baptism. I had a wonderful time with my family, and was pretty much technology free for a few days. I admire bloggers who schedule posts when they'll be away, or even work on their blog while on vacation, but it's not for me. I like to take the time away and really disconnect. 


This was the third course in my Bourbon Dinner a few weeks ago, and it was something that I put the most thought into. I wanted to make a substantial entrĂ©e, but it had to be vegetarian, semi-fancy, and Bourbon friendly, of course. While thinking about Kentucky and flavors of the south, I remembered the Fried Green Tomatoes I recently had at a restaurant, which were delicious. I thought it would be fun to stack them with a protein. Barbecue is obviously a southern favorite, and I've found that of all the vegetarian proteins out there, tempeh seems to be the best for grilling and pairing with bbq sauce. Finally I wanted a starchy base for the stack. Since the tomatoes had tang, the tempeh was salty and earthy, a creamy sweet potato puree was the perfect balance, especially laced with Bourbon as it often is at Thanksgiving. The dish came together with a sprinkle of blue cheese and parsley, and was absolutely delicious! 

Fried Green Tomato and BBQ Tempeh Stacks with Bourbon Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Bourbon Whipped Sweet Potatoes:

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chunked
1/3 c. whole milk or cream
1/4 c. Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Kosher salt
1 tbsp. molasses
2 tbsp. salted butter

Place potatoes in a pot of cold water, bring to a boil covered, reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, or until fork tender. 
Drain, pour Bourbon into the hot pot, then add potatoes and cream.
Mash or use a hand mixer to whip until potatoes begin to create a smooth appearance.
Add cayenne, salt, molasses and butter, continue to whip until incorporated.
Taste and adjust seasonings, serve or keep warm covered in a 200* oven, whipping in more milk or cream if necessary when serving. 


Fried Green Tomatoes:
3 large green tomatoes, sliced 1/4" thick 
1 c. plus 1/2 c. unbleached all purpose flour
2 eggs
1/4 c. milk
1 c. cornmeal
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. paprika
Salt and pepper
Oil, for frying (I used olive oil)

Arrange 3 shallow dishes on a counter.
Add 1 c. flour to first.
Mix eggs with milk in the second.
Toss 1/2 c. flour with cornmeal, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper in the last.
Heat oil over medium in a skillet about 1/2" up the side. 
Arrange paper towels on a plate or a dripping rack next to frying pan. 
Dredge tomato slices in flour, then dip in egg, then coat in cornmeal and place in the frying pan. 
Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown.
Place on paper towels to drain, continue with remaining tomato slices. 
Serve or keep warm in a 200* oven on a wire rack nestled in a baking sheet. 


BBQ Tempeh:
1/2 batch of Bourbon BBQ Sauce (I halved this recipe)
2 8 oz. packages of plain or original tempeh

Slice tempeh into 1/4" slices, then place in a tupperware storage container.
Pour 1-2 c. bbq sauce over tempeh, toss to coat.
Marinade for 30 minutes to 4 hours. 
Heat a gas grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. 
Place strips of tempeh on grill, cook until grill marks appear and bbq sauce begins to caramelize, basting as necessary. 
Grill all tempeh, then serve or keep warm in a 200* oven, tossing with extra warmed sauce if necessary before serving.


To make stacks:
Take 1/4 of the sweet potato mixture, form into a mound then use the back of a spatula or spoon to smear onto the plate. 
Arrange a tomato at the base of the sweet potatoes, then stack 2 slices of tempeh on top.
Place another tomato on top of tempeh, then place 2 more strips going the opposite direction of the first.
Top with one final tomato.
Sprinkle plate with parsley and blue cheese.

8 comments:

Joanne said...

I think this dish is SO crazy inventive Ash! And it was definitely what caught my eye the most when you posted your recap of the dinner! Delicious.

Tasha said...

Like Joanne, I think this is such a creative and impressive dish. You always have amazing menus for your dinner parties- it makes me wish I could be a guest :)

Anonymous said...

those sweet potatoes sound so amazing! i've never tried tempeh like that, but throw some bbq in there and i just might!

VegeCooking Club said...

Oh my God Ash this looks great. I must try the BBQ tempeh. And I LOVE the white background. Yay!!!!

Kelly said...

I would have never thought to pair tempeh and fried green tomatoes together, but it sounds like a great marriage. I also LOVE the idea of bourbon whipped sweet potatoes. May have to steal that.

Schmetterling said...

Oh It looks so good, I love tempeh and I'll make this recipe soon :)
I just discovered your blog, it have a lot of good ideas, so i'm going to follow you :)
I apologize for my english, i'm trying to improve it...

Michelle said...

wow - that tempeh looks so good!! I think I might try making this for friends who are coming over on the weekend :)

Dharma said...

In one blog to another I have come to this, methinks me wonderful recipes, photographs, ultimately everything you put, congratulations and greetings from Spain;)