Yacon: my sweet savory savior

Gluten free? Vegan? Lactose intolerant? Vegetarian? Pescatarian? Nut allergy? Paleo? Low-carb? Sugar-free? Onions give you heart burn? Nightshades sour your stomach? We’ve got you covered!

When guests stay at North Fork 53, they know that the focus of their breakfast will be farm-fresh but as for the menu, they are in for a surprise. I like to say that we play a little game of roulette in the morning. Omelette? Benedict? Huevos Rancheros? Quiche? French Toast? Savory waffles? Crepes? Each day the ball lands on something different, and it keeps guests and the cook on our toes. So far it has gone over well. The carefully grown ingredients speak for themselves and no one has walked away disappointed or hungry (phew!).

But despite the morning surprise, we do make a point of asking guests their dietary restrictions and considering them when planning the next day’s meal. Last weekend posed a special challenge when we hosted Carolyn who follows a strict no-sugar, no-grain, low-carb diet and another guest who is vegan (the purist kind—yep, no honey). It took both Sara and I some time to wrap our brains around it. Baking with no sugar, grain, eggs, honey, or carbs. Uuuuhh….?

I stared at the shelves in our pantry, glass jars dimming one by one as I deemed them unsuitable for use. Thankfully, one ingredient reached out, shone as a lighthouse beacon through thick fog. Yacon! Last year, our skillful farmers, Lily and Kayleigh, painstakingly grew, juiced and reduced this sweet South American root into a decadent syrup. Thick and deep brown in color, with a sweet yet savory flavor, the syrup is perfect for barbecue sauce or as a replacement for molasses. So in it went: into the coconut chocolate date bars, into the gluten-free pumpkin muffins and into the vegan banana nut muffins. The following recipe is one that many guests have asked me to share. Not shy on the spices and featuring yacon syrup for depth, this squash bread is reminiscent of pumpkin pie. I’m completely off season, but who needs fall to enjoy squash? Not I! 

*Disclaimer: this recipe contains all of the things: eggs, grains, cane sugar, etc. Gluten-free, sugarless and vegan recipes coming soon...

Ingredients

2 cups roasted pureed squash (any sweet variety will do: kabocha, butternut, pumpkin, hubbard, etc. I use squash that we slow roasted in the oven, but a can of pumpkin also works)
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil, melted coconut oil or melted unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup yacon syrup or molasses
3 1/2 cups all-purpose or whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 TBS ground cinnamon
1½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground allspice

Preparation

Grease and flour 2 9x5 loaf pans with your choice of oil or butter, tapping out excess flour. Preheat oven to 325°F for nonstick pans or 350°F for metal.

In a large bowl or food processor, mix together squash puree, eggs, oil, sugar and yacon syrup until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and allspice. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when center is set and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool for five minutes in pans, then remove and cool completely on wire rack.

This bread is perfect for baking ahead and storing in the freezer. After the loaves cool completely, wrap in plastic wrap or place in an air-tight container and store in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.  I like to warm them in the oven after thawing. Goes great with apple butter!