Steemit Culinary Challenge #24 Mouthgasms: ~ A Heavy Cream, 8 Layer Sweet Potato Galette.

Happy Easter!  Or, for those of us who can appreciate our "ancient" origins, "Happy return of Eastra/Astarte/Ishtar or Inanna", all names given to the goddess of Spring, over the ages.

As we get ready for a new season and are excited by the eager anticipation of the potentially fertile 2017 growing season, I thought it was quite fitting that our guest judge this week the @gardenofeden tribe should choose "Mouthgasms" as this week's culinary theme.

Being a Cannabis Coach, I can share some valuable information related to how the herb, cannabis works to heighten all the body's senses,... including orgasms...of all kinds.

If you want to read more on that topic, I have included a post that I wrote on that subject about 7 months ago. (It was one of my first posts and at the time, not many Steemians actually saw it.) You can access it here:

https://steemit.com/marijuana/@rebeccaryan/let-s-talk-about-sex-baby-let-s-talk-about-you-and-me

If you choose the correct strain, "everything" is enhanced with the addition of ingesting the herb before eating anything else.

Cannabis directly heightens the senses of smell, sight, taste, and appetite. It will also improve your hearing and your tactile senses, too.

With that said, pick your favourite "munchie" inducing strain and blaze it or vape it while I show you how to make a crowd pleasing 8 Layer Sweet Potato Gallete.

(The rabbit is an Easter symbol for good reason, they are incredibly fertile.)

Start by gathering your ingredients.

For this recipe, you will need:

1. 3 large, thinly sliced sweet potatoes;
2. 6 finely chopped shallots;
3. 1 litre of 35% whipping cream;
4. 1 cup or 220 grams of Swiss cheese, shredded;
5. 1 cup or 220 grams of aged cheddar, shredded (I used cheddar made from Water Buffalo milk, but any old cheddar will work.);
6. 2 cups or 1 lb of hickory smoked bacon, fried and chopped into small bacon bits;
7. 2 tbsp of finely chopped fresh chives;
8. 1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh thyme;
9. 1 tsp of freshly grated nutmeg;
10. 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon;
11. and pink Himalayan salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.

The tools you will need are:

1. a food processor or mandoline for slicing the sweet potatoes;
2. a large butcher's knife;
3. a whisk;
4. a medium size frying pan to fry the bacon;
5. a medium size pot;
6. a crock pot or very large casserole dish;
7. and a ladle.

Directions:

• Grate the nutmeg. (I have friends who frequent the island of Jamaica, this nutmeg with its mace intact, was foraged from there and given to me as a gift...along with other plant material, I might add. wink, wink.) 

• Shred both cheeses and mix them up well. (I used my food processor to do this task and shredded the cheese while it was still well chilled, directly from my refrigerator. This keeps the cheese from jamming in the blades while it is shredding.)

• Slice the sweet potato, 1/8th inch thick. (This was the #2 setting on my food processor blade. The thinner the slice of the sweet potato, the more evenly it will cook. Err on the side of thinner than thicker for maximum flavour melding.)

• Add the whipping cream, the nutmeg and the cinnamon to a medium size pot and gently simmer over a low flame on your stove top.

• Whisk the spices and the heavy cream together. Gently heat, until the cream is warm, all the way through. (Do not bring to a boil and be mindful, not to scorch the cream.)

• Fry the hickory smoked bacon and drain well, to remove any excess bacon grease.

• Chop the shallots to a fine mince. (I used shallots because their flavour is a little milder than a white onion.)

• Finely chop the herbs and the bacon.

• Put a single layer of sweet potato slices in the bottom of a crock pot or large casserole dish. (If you are baking this dish in the oven, pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F.)

• Evenly spread 2.5 ladles of the heavy spiced cream mixture, directly on top of the first layer of sweet potatoes. 

• Follow this by evenly sprinkling a handful of shredded cheese, bacon bits, diced shallots and fresh chives and thyme on top of the spiced cream and sweet potato.
• Add another layer of sweet potato slices and repeat the process of layering all the ingredients. (I stopped when, I ran out of the spiced cream mixture and  the cheese blend.) 
• Top with a final layer of sweet potato slices and some shredded cheese.

• Bake in the oven for 1 hour at 350 degrees. If you are using a crock pot, cook on high for 4 hours. (The sweet potatoes should be soft and cooked all the way through. The cheese and cream mixture should be bubbly and lightly golden brown.)
• Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

By far, this culinary delight gets better with time. The flavours need a chance to intensify and heighten. I like to make this dish the day before and refrigerate it overnight. This gives it a chance to become a true "mouthgasm". I also like to make this in a big crock pot because it will feed a large group. Often, when I am invited to a dinner, I just bring my crock pot and heat it up on its low setting about 90 minutes before dinner is served. (I find that most hostesses and hosts, appreciate not having to share their stove when they are throwing a dinner party.)

Velvety smooth cream...

Hickory smoked bacon...

Savory chives and thyme enhanced by the sweetness of sweet potato and caramelized shallots... 

Entirely bound together and intertwined with melted Swiss and cheddar cheeses...yeah, it's a "mouthgasm", for sure.

Let's get a little closer..

I would like to thank the @gardenofeden team, @woman-onthe-wing and @smooth.

Another shout out goes to @oaldamster for designing the Steemit Culinary Challenge logo and @vegascomic for designing the trophies.

I welcome your comments and I invite you to join me at my table...there is always room for one more. ;)

~ Rebecca Ryan