I absolutely love the smells of fall: pumpkin, pears, apple and our locally grown and harvested sweet potatoes.  Many varieties are available throughout Avoyelles Parish; Orleans, Beauregard, Evangeline, Jewel and even one just with a number (#50146) or a white fleshed variety (Benita) that is also farmed locally.  Here are a couple of favorite recipes that are popular in Avoyelles Parish and are prepared by some of my co-workers just in time for Thanksgiving.

Sweet Potato Streusel

Filling:
1 1/2 Cup Mashed Sweet Potatoes(Boiled, Baked or Canned)
1/4 Cup Butter
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
1 Cup Milk

Topping:
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 Stick Butter
1/4 Cup Flour
1 Cup Chopped Pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 9×13 casserole with non-stick spray and set aside.  Combine all filling ingredients and mix with mixer for 10 minutes.  Pour into casserole dish.  Mix all topping ingredients together and spoon evenly over filling.  Bake until bubbly and topping is golden brown.  Recipe courtesy of Mary Guillory.

Bisque of Curried Pumpkin, Crawfish and Corn

Ingredients:
1 Cup Olive Oil
2 Cups Chopped Onions
1 Cup Chopped Bell Peppers
1 Cup Chopped Celery
1/2 Cup Chopped Garlic
1 Cup Flour
1 Cup Steen’s Cane Syrup
1/4 Cup Curry Powder
2 Quarts Crawfish Stock
1 (14oz) Can of Unsweetened Pumpkin
2 Cups Fresh Corn Kernels
1 Pound Louisiana Crawfish Tails, Peeled
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
Salt and Pepper, to taste

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic.  Cook until translucent or for 10 minutes.  Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes.  Then, stir in cane syrup, curry powder, crawfish stock, corn kernels and Louisiana crawfish tails.  Whisk in can of pumpkin and bring soup to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.  Add heavy whipping cream and season soup with salt and pepper to taste.  Yields 12 servings.   Recipe courtesy of Houmas House Plantation, a favorite of Carolyn’s.

Come check out the selection of local cookbooks in the Avoyelles Commission of Tourism gift shop.  We are open Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 4:00pm. Cookbooks are perfect for holiday gift giving!