Free Southern Comfort by Allison Vines-Rushing Page B

unsalted butter, diced
    In a large saucepan, combine the peas, lima beans, bay leaf, 2 sprigs of the thyme, stock, whole carrot, whole celery stalk, onion halves, and garlic head. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. (Do not season your beans now; you never season beans at the beginning of cooking because this would make them tough.)
    While the beans are simmering, with a ladle or large spoon, skim off the scum on the surface. Cook the peas and beans until just tender, about 20 minutes. Once the beans are cooked, remove the herbs, carrot, celery, onion, and garlic from the pan and discard.
    To finish the dish, add the diced carrot, diced celery, diced onion, salt, pepper, and butter to the pan. Return the stock with the beans and peas to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the liquid is glossy and emulsified, about 20 minutes.
    Remove the leaves from the remaining 2 sprigs thyme. Garnish with the thyme leaves for fragrance and serve.

    Sweet Potato–Truffle Gratin
    SWEET POTATO–TRUFFLE GRATIN
    S ERVES 12
    We don’t have much of a winter down here in Louisiana, which makes me miss my favorite holiday memories of New York City—the bright white just-fallen snow, the streets lined with Christmas lights, and the intoxicating smell of the fist-size winter black truffles in my garde manger cooler at Ducasse. Slade and I can’t afford truffles like the ones I got to handle there, so instead we use truffle puree and truffle oil in this recipe, which are available year round and a fraction of the cost of fresh truffles.

    1¼ teaspoons fine sea salt
    1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
    1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves,
    1 tablespoon chopped garlic
    2 tablespoon white truffle oil (see Sources )
    1 (⅞-ounce) tube black truffle puree (see Sources )
    1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    6 cups heavy cream
    3 large sweet potatoes
    6 large Yukon gold potatoes
    2 tablespoons unsalted butter
    Preheat the oven to 350°F.
    To make the truffle cream, in a saucepan, combine the salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, truffle oil, truffle puree, Parmesan, and cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer over high heat, whisking occasionally. Once the mixture reaches a simmer, turn off the heat and let cool to room temperature.
    Meanwhile, have a bowl of cool water nearby. Peel all of the potatoes, submerging them in the cool water to prevent discoloration. With 1 tablespoon of the butter, grease the bottom and sides of a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Using a mandoline, carefully slice the potatoes ⅛ inch thick, keeping the sweet potato slices and Yukon gold potato slices separate.
    Starting with the Yukon golds, arrange the potato slices in a shingle-like pattern in the casserole dish, overlapping the edges slightly. Using a ½-cup measure, scoop and pour the truffle cream evenly over the layer of potatoes, making sure to mix the cream each time before scooping it.
    Next, arrange a layer of sweet potatoes and cream. Repeat the process, alternating layers of Yukon golds and sweet potatoes, until you have nine layers, ending with the Yukon golds. Dot the top of the gratin with the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Lay a sheet of parchment or waxed paper over the top.
    Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 1¾ hours. Remove the foil and parchment paper and bake until the top is browned, about 15 more minutes.
    Let the gratin rest for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
    YELLOW SQUASH MARMALADE
    M AKES 6 SERVINGS
    No it’s not squash preserves, but the chunky texture and richness bring to mind a kind of marmalade. Cooked yellow squash tends to get watery, but removing the seeds eliminates that distraction. Dicing the squash is all the work you have to do; the butter and onions do the rest. Serve this with a piece of grilled fish and a tomato and basil salad.

    6 medium yellow squash
    1 medium white onion
    ½ cup unsalted butter
    4 cloves garlic, smashed
    2 sprigs thyme
    1