Executive Chef Michael Von Blomberg of Hotel Andaluz Sweetens Up the Morning on New Mexico Style

KASA - Crème Brûlée
    yield: 12         

Heavy cream 1 qt
Sugar             1 cup
Vanilla bean   1 each
Egg yolks       14 ea
Sugar ( for topping)  2 Tbsp each
 

Method:
1. scrape the inside of the vanilla bean, add the seeds and whole pod to the cream, bring to a boil, remove from heat and set aside.
2.  whip the 1 cup of sugar and egg yolk together until the sugar is mostly dissolved and the mixture falls off the whisk in ribbons.
3. continue whisking the egg mixture and slowly pour the hot cream into it.  Do not pour too fast or the egg will cook.
4.  Strain the custard through a fine mesh strainer and, discard the used vanilla bean pod.
5. fill Ceramic ramekins 90% full with the hot custard.
6. place the filled ramekins in a baking dish and pour hot water around the ramekins half way up the side.
7. bake in a 325 oven for 30-45 minutes of until just set.
8.  allow the custard to cool completely before continuing ( 3 or more hours ).
9.  sprinkle 2 Tbsp of sugar on top of each cooled custard.
10. with a propane or butane torch melt the sugar on the custard rolling the melted browned sugar around until all the sugar is dissolved and the entire custard is covered with a thin sheet of browned sugar.

Sweet Potato Blini

1 pound Sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 to 3 tablespoons crème fraîche, at room temperature
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
coarse salt and freshly ground white pepper
Method:
Place the potatoes in a saucepan with cold water to cover by at least 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat, and simmer until the potatoes are thoroughly cooked and tender.
Peel the warm potatoes and press them through a tamis. Immediately weigh out 9 ounces of puréed potatoes and place them in a medium metal bowl. Working quickly, whisk the flour into the warm potatoes, then whisk in 2 tablespoons crème fraîche. Add 1 egg, whisking until the batter is smooth, add the second egg, and then add the yolk.
Hold the whisk with some of the batter over the bowl. The batter should fall in a thick stream but hold its shape when it hits the batter in the bowl. If it is too thick, add a little more crème fraîche. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.
Heat an electric griddle to 350°F. Note, if you do not have a griddle, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat. Spoon between 1 and 1 1/2 teaspoons of batter onto the griddle or skillet for each pancake. Cook until the bottoms are browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Then flip them to cook the second side, about 1 minute. The blini should be evenly browned with a small ring of white around the edges. Transfer the blini to a small baking sheet and keep warm while you make the remaining blini, wiping the skillet with a paper towel between batches. Serve the blini as soon as possible.