We’re had Gordon and Angela over for dinner this past Saturday and of course, I am still on this Tapas kick so we’re doing Tapas Around the World Part III. Recently a dear friend’s mother reached out asking about tips and tricks to serve a successful tapas dinner (at least, in my own little mind, they have been successful!!), so this post will focus on my tips and tricks! Hope it helps, Noni!

1. 4-6 (including yourselves) is an ideal grouping for tapas, more than 6 is a cocktail party!
2. Mix it up – serve cold, room temperature and hot dishes so that you’re not standing in the kitchen the entire time.
3. Mix up sharing portions and mini individual portions (this allows some who are hungrier to help themselves to a second helping).
4. Prepare in advance and make notes on what’s next (there will always be distractions when you entertain, so I find the notes extremely helpful to make sure I don’t forget something!)
5. KIS – keep it simple. Don’t plan to make something complicated that will take you away from your guests for more than 5-10 minutes at a time.
6. Plan your plating. I generally take out all the dishes I am planning to use and have them ready in the order of the courses. This way you’re not scrambling to find something last minute (check out Tap Phong on Spadina in Toronto, the most amazing store for unique, inexpensive plates!).
7. Plan to have things your spouse can do (such as grilling), that way you can share the cooking time and alternate being with your guests.
8. Use prepared sauces adjusting to your specific taste; you don’t have to make everything from scratch!
9. Multi purpose for example, two out of the three desserts will have Crème Anglais, one I will heat, the other will be served cold.
10. Determine where courses will be eaten (we like to begin the kitchen on our soapstone island and end up in the living room in front of a roaring fire, but you can also move around, depending on what you are serving).
11. Wrap necessary cutlery in a napkin per person and have it ready in the living room (or where ever you plan to eat your tapas).

I have had good success with four rounds of three (four stages, each with three small portions or sharing portions). I will often try to incorporate a portion of something that I have made in bulk and frozen sometime previously and just have to cook/bake – that takes off some pressure of creating everything from scratch just for that meal. You can also mix it up with store-bought items and some home-made to help with the work load.

This is the menu for last Saturday night, my notes for pre-preparation (to do the day or days in advance) are below and the order of preparation (during the dinner party) are below that. It’s a lot more prep work ahead of time, but it does give you a lot more time to enjoy your guests.

Round 1: Thai

• Lemongrass soup (May be prepared 1-2 days in advance and refrigerated. Reheat in microwave when ready to serve). I left out the shrimp this time, due to an aversion to seafood.
• Pork Saté and peanut sauce (Prepare morning of, soak wooden skewers, marinate pork and refrigerate until ready to grill; Prepare peanut sauce in advance or use store bought, refrigerate).
• 10-ingredient slaw (Prepare the morning of, keeping the wetter ingredients separate from the drier ones (such as cucumbers are wet, cabbage is dry) so the slaw stays crunchy. Combine and dress just before serving).

Round 2: Spain

• Chorizo and Tomato Sausage (Prepare raw ingredients and combine, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, ready for a quick fry).
• Onion and Orange Salad (Prepare in advance so the onions have time to mellow). Store covered in refrigerator, I store in serving dish to save time later.
• Bacon wrapped dates (I generally make these in bulk, so all I have to do is pulled out the required quantity from the freezer and bake when ready to serve).

Round 3: India

• Onion Bhaji with mango sauce (I prepared a bulk quantity of onion bhaja’s in advance and froze them – you can buy ready made bhaja’s to simplify. Now I have onion bhaja’s for another couple tapas dinners; Mango sauce was Sensations from Sobeys with a minor adjustment)
• Mini Naan with Butter Chicken (I made butter chicken for dinner on Wednesday night and made too much on purpose; you can do this virtually with anything!)
• Carrot Pickle (I made this a couple of days in advance, but you can buy ready made condiments just as easily).

Round 4: France

• Madeleine’s with Crème Anglais (I generally make Madeleine’s in bulk and freeze, so I just pull out the number I need). I made Crème Anglais the night before for another dinner party, so I just made too much and refrigerated)
• Crêpe Suzette (I made Crèpes for breakfast the day before, and as usual, I made too much batter so I decided to make the crèpes for the tapas in advance and refrigerate. Remember that these are small portions so the crèpes are only 5″ in diameter!).
• Ile Flottante (Crème Anglais from night before; I made the Ile the morning of).

Below is an example of what my notes would be a few days prior to the event:

Prepare a couple of days in advance:

1. Cook lemongrass soup, cool and refrigerate.
2. Create onion bhajas and freeze (I ran out of my stash, so I had to make them again).
3. Create Bacon wrapped dates and freeze (I ran out of my stash, so I had to make them again).
4. Butter Chicken (I planned to make this for dinner during the week and reserve a small portion for Saturday night – about one to two chicken chunks per person).
5. Prepare Carrot pickle (this needs to sit in the dressing a few days to allow it to pickle). Refrigerate.
6. Make crèpes, cover and refrigerate.
7. Make Crème Anglais, cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Prepare the day of (this takes about 3 hours or so):

1. Marinate pork with a store bought peanut marinate (I altered mine to my taste) and skewer on soaked wooden sticks, wrap in cello and refrigerate.
2. Prepare the ingredients for the 10-ingredient slaw; keep wet ingredients such as mango and cucumber separate to the drier ones such as radish and cabbage. Do not dress until 10 minutes before serving (doing so will wilt the slaw and it will become too sloppy).
3. Prepare the onion and orange salad (chop a few extra onions for the chorizo, this saves time). This salad needs to be dressed in advance so that the citrus can mellow the onion. Cover well and refrigerate (not covering will make your fridge smell like onions!)
4. Crêpe Suzette: prepare the orange liquor sauce and reserve (no need to refrigerate).
5. Prepare the Ile Flottante and allow to cool, refrigerate. (I put the ile into the individual dishes, covered and refrigerated so all I had to do was pour the Crème Anglais on top, and one of my three dessert courses was complete!).

The Main Event. My actual notes are not nearly as detailed, but since I am giving pointers, I thought I would add as much detail and thought behind my madness!

1. Guests arrive and beverages are served in the kitchen. I asked JT to grill pork satays, so the men do that outdoors while the women chat in the kitchen. We continued to chat and eat pork satay with peanut sauce in the kitchen.
2. JT had prepared a fire in the fireplace in advance, so all he had to do was light it. We moved to the living room and JT lit the fire. This gave me a moment to clean up the kitchen a bit and heat up the soup in the microwave. While the soup is heating, I assembled the slaw and dressed it. On a large tray, we served the individual soup cups, and small plates for the sharing portion of the slaw. The lovely thing about tapas is that you can pace yourselves, so if one coarse is heavier, take a few extra minutes before serving the next round!
3. We cleared the dishes and JT cut the bread, and brought out plates for the Spanish tapas, which were all sharing portions. The onion and orange salad was prepared in advance so all I did was pour it into the previously chosen serving bowl. The bacon wrapped dates take about 10 minutes on 375•F and the chorizo and tomato takes about 6 minutes. I cooked the chorizo while the dates were baking. We served it all at once. Because this course was sharing, it took a bit longer to eat particularly with the great conversations we were having!
4. Because the courses are getting heavier, I waited for the Spanish course to be 1/2 finished before I put the rice on for the butter chicken. It takes 20 minutes and I wanted about 10-15 minutes between courses.
5. When we cleared the dishes from the Spanish course, I started heating the butter chicken in the microwave (sauce and chicken heating separately, to keep the chicken whole and not mushy). The onion bhaji’s go into the oven for about 10 minutes on 350•F to heat through (they are already cooked from deep frying previously, I just need to reheat). The sauce for the bhaji was prepared in advance and was ready waiting on the serving platter. The pickle was also prepared in advance and already in the serving dish.
6. The Indian course was served at once.
7. Dessert had a bit more time between. I had previously plated the Ile Flottante so I just had to pour the Crème Anglais over it. Then I heated the remainder Crème Anglais for the Madeleine’s. The mini crépes had been prepared in advance, as had the orange sauce for the Crépes Suzettes. I heated the sauce in a pan, added the crépes and heated them through. Once the crépes were done, I plated and added the finishing touches and served. In the meantime, JT made espressos and dessert was enjoyed by the fire.

Tapas seem like a lot of work, but it really is a well orchestrated symphony of courses. I’d love to hear your comments about your tapas dinner. Please let me know how it works out.

We’re had my best friend Kim (from university) and her husband Michael for dinner last night, and planning a meal for them is always a challenge. Kim is allergic to gluten, potatoes, and soy; Michael doesn’t eat anything with nuts or onions or anything that is very different! The dinner was a huge success and I was relieved!

I always try to make interesting, but safe meals (safe meaning Michael will eat it!) and that’s when I thought of a contemporary twist on Chicken Cordon Bleu! The first time I had Chicken Cordon Bleu was at my future (at the time) mother-in-law’s home; they were store bought, with chunks of ham and swiss cheese stuffed into a breaded, seasoned chicken breast. I can still taste the salt! My version will not be as bad for you, and it will be home-made.

The Menu:

Hors d’oeuvres: Sesame Crackers and warm Caramelized Onion Cheddar Dip (I used roasted garlic for this version)

Appetizer: old fashioned shrimp cocktail with Wasabi cocktail sauce (ketchup, wasabi (to taste) and about 1/2 tsp fresh micro-ground ginger)

Main:
Chicken Cordon Bleu with a creamy mushroom sauce
Cauliflower and white bean mash
Asparagus with butter and garlic

Dessert: Molten chocolate cake with a berry sauce.

Contemporary Chicken Cordon Bleu

Ingredients:

• 4 5-6 oz skinless, boneless chicken or turkey breasts.
• 8 slices of Proscuito
• 8 slices of smoked cheese (I used Manitoba Smoked Cheddar)
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (home made or low sodium)

Directions:

1. Butterfly the chicken breast. Put one into a zip lock baggy and lay as flat as possible. Flatten the chicken using a meat pounder (flat, not ridged) to an even thickness. Repeat for all chicken breasts.
2. On each chicken breast place two slices of Proscuito and 2 slices of cheese to cover the breast.
3. Roll tightly with remaining Proscuito, securing with butcher string. Store in refrigerator until required.
4. Preheat oven to 350F.
5. Using a well seasoned cast iron skillet with a squirt of Pam, brown chicken rolls on all sides.
6. Add wine and chicken stock, cover with foil and finish baking in oven (until chicken juices run clear). Reserve liquid, if any.
7. Serve sliced into 1/2 inch slices on a bed of Cauliflower and White Bean mash.

Cauliflower and White Bean Mash

I got the idea of mixing white beans with cauliflower to beef up the creaminess of the cauliflower (and white beans won’t change the colour of the cauliflower!).

Ingredients:

• 1 head cauliflower (about 1kg)
• 25g dried white or navy beans (prepare according to package directions – use water to rehydrate)
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup sweet Mayan onion

Directions:

1. Steam cauliflower and garlic clove until very soft (steaming as opposed to roasting to preserve the whiteness).
2. Prepare white beans according to directions, add onions and cook until everything is soft.
3. In a food processor, process cauliflower and white beans mix and garlic to a fine paste.
4. This is a very important step: Strain the processed mix through a fine sieve (this step will remove the bean skins which will be coarse and ensure the mash is really creamy and smooth!)
5. Keep warm over a bain-marie. The steamed cauliflower should have enough liquid to make a thick creamy mash, but if it is too thick, add a bit of chicken stock.

‘Creamy’ Mushroom Sauce (adapted from Epicurious)

Ingredients:

• 1 cups home-made or canned low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 ounce dried forest mushroom mix rehydrated in 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound brown mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp brandy or cognac
• 1/2 cup low fat cream (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions:

1. The night before, rehydrate forest mushrooms with water in refrigerator.
2. Strain the mushroom liquid through a coffee filter, reserve.
3. Rinse hydrated mushroom carefully (these are often very sandy, so rinse well). Set aside.
4. Melt 1 tbsp butter in a cast iron sauce pan, add onions and cook until soft.
5. Add 1/2 the sliced brown mushrooms. Cook until soft. The mushrooms will release quite a bit of water, this will help make the sauce!
6. Add the garlic and then add the reserved mushroom liquid.
7. Transfer this mushroom mix into a blender and blend until smooth, add cream. You may add chicken stock until desired consistency is achieved.
8. Strain through a fine sieve, set aside. Discard bits.
9. Melt the remaining 1 tbsp butter in the sauce pan. Add the forest mushrooms and remaining sliced brown mushrooms. Cook until soft.
10. Add brandy or cognac and cook until alcohol has burned off.
11. Pour the reserved strained mushroom sauce into the pan and mix thoroughly with the chopped mushrooms.
12. Add fresh chopped parsley.
13. Serve in a warm gravy boat and allow people to help themselves.

As I mentioned in a previous post, this diet I am on is extremely strict; there are forbidden foods (such as beets, kale, carrots, peas, yellow beans, corn, etc – mostly because they are high in sugar!). But I am allowed red cabbage – a fantastic fall vegetable. I have taken an old recipe and turned it healthy, but really really yummy!

• 1/2 purple cabbage, finely sliced
• 3/4 Vidalia onion, finely sliced
• 1 Golden Delicious (or Jonagold) apple, grated
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1-4 drops of liquid smoke (this is to give the impression of bacon (I cannot have bacon now!)
• about 1 cup water or low sodium chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste
• 14″ square parchment paper

1. Preheat oven to 500F.
2. In a hot, heavy cast iron dutch oven, spray a couple of squirts of Pam into bottom (or if your not being good, then render about 5 slices of Pancetta finely chopped and once crisp, remove). Add onions and sauté until soft (4-5 minutes). If the pan is getting dry, add a bit of water (not too much, you don’t want the onions steaming, just so they don’t burn).
3. Add apples and sauté about a minute longer. If dry, add water (or low sodium chicken stock).
4. Add purple cabbage and sauté for another couple of minutes – stirring well. If dry, add water (or low sodium chicken stock). If you’re being bad, add the pancetta back to the pan and stir well.
5. Take the parchment paper and fold into quarters, and again. Cut 1/2 the diameter of the pot in a circular form. Cut about 1/2″ out of the centre. Now when you open the parchment, it should be a circle with a hole in the centre!
   
6. Take the cabbage off the heat. Put the parchment circle into the pan directly on top of the cabbage so that it is covered (with the exception of the hole in the centre). Put the pan into the oven and braise for about 1 hour. Stir every 15-20 minutes. You may need to add a bit of water throughout, so keep an eye on it, particularly near the end.

Cider Vinegar Dressing

• 1/4 cup finely chopped Vidalia onion
• 2 tsp cider vinegar
• about 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1-2 drops of smoke (to simulate the flavour of bacon!)

1. In a small 2 cup saucepan, begin sauté-ing the onion in a couple of squirts of Pam.
2. Use small amounts of chicken stock to help the caramelization of the onions (remember, you don’t want to steam them).
3. Add the cider vinegar and about 1/4 cup of the chicken stock.
4. Reduce until there is virtually no liquid remaining.
5. Remove from heat and add about 1/2 cup of the chicken stock. The caramelization process should have made the onions a golden caramel colour.
6. Set aside.

Seared Scallops

• 5-6 oz of scallops per person. Our’s were about 2oz each!!)

1. When the cabbage has about 15 minutes left to braise, remove scallops from fridge and dry thoroughly (very important to be able to get that beautiful “sear” on them!)
2. Remove the tough mussel on the side (this is that little bit on the side that looks like it’s added on – should come off very easily, discard).
3. Heat cast iron skillet until very hot.
4. Spray a couple of squirts of Pam.
5. Add very dry scallops and sear about 2 minutes per side.

Serving

1. Place a generous amount of braised cabbage onto the centre of the plate (I prefer white).
2. Add 2-3 seared scallops into the centre of each cabbage mound.
3. Drizzle with the warm cider vinegar dressing.

Enjoy!

Flowers from Tina and Todd.

We had very good friends, the Evans’s and Todd and Tina (lead carpenter from reno) over for dinner this Saturday (Todd is working with Rob on HGTV).

Here is the menu:

Round 1: Champagne and Hors D’oeuvres (3 tiers hors d’oeuvres)

• Smoked salmon, crème fraiche on chive biscuits with caper
• Bacon wrapped dates
• Vegetable platter (for those of us watching our girlish figures)

Round 2:

• Roasted Red Pepper, Boconcinni & Arugula Salad with balsamic reduction dressing

Round 3:

• Caesar Shrimp shots (home roasted tomatoes, onions and garlic, puréed with a dash of vodka, tobasco and horse radish) in a cute little shot glass

Round 4:

• Medallions of Beef Tenderloin with a balsamic glaze, and hors radish dots
• Puréed roasted celery root and cauliflower
• Asparagus spears

Round 5:

• Chocolate Panna Cotta with balsamic reduction, dallop of cream and strawberries
  Coffee / Tea

The smoked salmon on chive biscuits can be found on the Valentine’s Day menu.

Bacon wrapped dates (these are too yummy, and so easy, you have to try them!):

• 1 package regular plain ordinary bacon (chose less fat if at all possible)
• 1 package honey dates (dried and pitted)
• toothpicks

1. Cut bacon slices in half width-wise.
2. In a standard microwave, par cook these half slices for 2-3 minutes (you want to render a lot of the fat out). The bacon will shrink and curl somewhat. You don’t want crispy bacon because it’s impossible to roll around the dates!
3. Remove bacon and wipe with paper towel to remove more fat. Allow to cool.
4. Wrap 1 bacon slice around 1 date and skewer with toothpick. You may freeze at this point.
5. When you want a quick hors d’oeuvres, take the quantity of frozen dates out of the freezer and follow step 6.
6. Bake in a hot 425°F oven for about 8-10 minutes (bacon should render completely and turn a bit crispy).
7. Serve. Careful, these are extremely hot.

Puréed Celery Root and Cauliflower (These are going to be a replacement for mashed potatoes, a little better for carb watchers)

• 1 large head of celery root, cleaned, peeled and cut into 1″ cubes
• 1 small cauliflower
• bowl of water with 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large garlic bulb (roasted to soft and squishy)

1. Pre heat oven to 400°F
2. Put cleaned and cut up celery root and cauliflower into the bowl of water with olive oil, remove and drain (this process will coat the veg with a little olive oil in a healthier way than drizzling all over. Pour veg into a roasting pan and roast for about 45 minutes.
3. You may want to roast veg separately since they may cook at different rates. Roast until they are mushy soft.
4. Pour all veg into a food processor, including roasted garlic (remove cloves from skin).
5. Purée until very smooth (could take 10 minutes), adding a little bit of water to loosen (not to make soup!)
6. Remove from processor and strain through a fine sive (this is very important, it will make the purée silky smooth).
7. Keep warm over a bain marie, and serve like mashed potatoes (use leftovers as soup – just add stock!).

Chocolate Panna Cotta (italian milk jello) adapted from May 2005 Page 108 delicious magazine. Serves 6 (here is a how to video, using a slightly different recipe)

• 3/4 cup light cream (this is important so jello does not separate)
• 1 cup milk (whole is best, skim has too much water)
• 1/4 cup caster sugar (or to taste)
• 200 g good quality dark semi sweet chocolate (I like it a bit denser, so I add more chocolate!)
• Pinch of cayenne pepper (you don’t want to taste it, just enhance the chocolate flavour)
• 2 packages gelatin
• 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar, reduced to 1/4 cup
• 24 strawberries, hulled and cut into halves

1. Place cream, sugar and chocolate in a sauce pan on medium heat. Stir until everything is dissolved and melted (about 4-5 minutes)
2. Then bring mixture to just about to boil and remove from heat.
3. Use gelatin packs according to directions and whisk into chocolate mixture.
4. Pour through a fine sieve into 100mL ramekins (I used silicon as they are easy to remove) and chill for 4 hours or overnight.
5. To serve, run a sharp knife around the edge to loosen and dip each ramekin into boiling water (careful not to let water come into contact with jello) for a couple of seconds. Turn out onto a plate.
6. On each plate, decorate the equivalent of 4 berries and drizzle with balsamic reduction. Enjoy!

This past weekend my niece Laura (John’s sister’s daughter) came down from London to do some shopping with me. I tested a dinner menu that we will be serving on the 19th. This is quite possibly the BEST beef I have EVER had. The small 750g beef was $33.00!!!! But really worth it.

Photo and recipe from Epicurious.

Beef tenderloin in a port wine sauce

.

Beef:
1 4- to 5-pound trimmed whole beef tenderloin, tail end tucked under, tied every 3 inches
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt

Sauce:
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, divided
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
3 tablespoons Cognac or brandy
1 fresh rosemary sprig
1 teaspoon coarsely cracked black pepper
1 cup ruby or tawny Port (or a really good heavy red wine)
Beef Stock

Roasting:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons black peppercorns, coarsely cracked in mortar with pestle or in resealable plastic bag with mallet

For beef:
Sprinkle entire surface of beef tenderloin with coarse kosher salt. Place beef on rack set over large rimmed baking sheet. Refrigerate uncovered at least 24 hours and up to 36 hours.

For sauce:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add shallots; sauté until soft, 3 minutes. Add Cognac, rosemary, and 1 teaspoon cracked pepper and cook until liquid evaporates, 1 minute. Add Port; bring to simmer. Add all of beef stock. Boil until reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 20 minutes. Strain into medium saucepan, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids in strainer. DO AHEAD: Can be made 24 to 36 hours ahead. Cool slightly, then cover and chill.

For roasting:
Let beef stand at room temperature 1 hour before roasting. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 425°F. Rub beef all over with oil; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons cracked peppercorns, pressing to adhere. Return beef to rack on baking sheet and roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of meat registers 125°F for medium-rare (135°F to 140°F in thinnest part), about 30 minutes. Remove roast from oven and let rest 15 minutes.

Bring sauce to boil; whisk in remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut off string from roast. Cut roast crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices; arrange on platter. Serve with sauce.

TEST-KITCHEN TIP: Salting in advance, also called dry brining, is often done to improve the texture of sinewy cuts of meat. But it also works magic on tender cuts, amping up flavor and juiciness. It sounds counterintuitive; for years the accepted wisdom was that pre-salting dries out meat. But the moderate salting you’ll be doing here does the opposite. Water is first drawn out of the meat and then gets reabsorbed; this saltier, more flavorful moisture helps intensify taste. What’s more, the exterior of the tenderloin dries out slightly, making it quicker to brown in the oven.

Green Beans with Caramalized Shallots (From Epicurious)
2 pounds haricots verts or slender green beans, trimmed
1 pound medium shallots
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

Preparation

1. Cook haricots verts in boiling salted water until tender, about 4 minutes (or 6 minutes if using green beans). Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in several layers of paper towels. Seal in plastic bag and chill.
2. Cut off and discard ends from shallots. Cut shallots lengthwise in half, then remove peel with paring knife. Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and sauté 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium-low; sauté until shallots are browned and tender, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover loosely with foil and let stand at room temperature.
3. Add haricots verts to shallots in skillet and stir over medium-high heat until heated through, about 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl and serve.

Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatos (this is my recipe)
2-3lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 large head garlic
Olive oil, sea salt

1. Make a pouch out of parchment paper, put garlic in centre (no need to trim or cut) drizzle generously with olive oil and sea salt, and cover completely with parchment and then with foil. Roast in a hot oven 375F for 45 minutes or until garlic is really soft. Let cool slightly.
2. Remove cloves into a blender – they should just fall out (emersion blender also works). Add olive oil that was used to roast. Add cream or milk or make a nice thick cream. Set aside.
3. Boil potatoes until soft.
4. Put potatoes through a potato ricer (this is important to get rid of the chunks).
5. Whip with an electric mixer beater and add the garlic purée. Add milk or cream to achieve desired consistency.
6. Keep whipped potatoes warm over a bain marie (a double boiler with simmering water or make one up yourself using a pyrex bowl over simmering water). This is the only way the potatoes will not dry out.