This is Really "Comfort" Food

Meatloaf, breakfast eggs and the Thanksgiving feast share a very important attribute: Nobody does them the way Mom does/did, and hers is the standard by which all others are judged.

A friend came by my house for dinner when I was in high school. The evening's bill of fare featured meatloaf. The presence of chopped green pepper in my mother's version of this classic rendered it inedible, my friend announced, while we, raised on this economical staple, cringed at the thought of a meatloaf without the green peppers.

Chefs tend to avoid cooking breakfast professionally because it is impossible to duplicate a customer's memories of mornings with Mom. And it is hard to imagine a secular meal more ritualized than Thanksgiving dinner -- once again, as orchestrated by Mom.

Thus it is with some trepidation that I offer an alternative side dish for your table this year. I know it will be difficult contemplating Thanksgiving without those sweet potatoes with marshmallows and syrup, but I promise you that this version puts that one away.

I am indebted to my friend and fellow foodie Barbara Rochatka Riley, owner of Riley to the Rescue Catering in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for this and many other great recipes, more of which I will share with you later. Barbara prepared this dish to serve on the dining program I hosted in Boston when the Swift's Butterball Turkey spokesman appeared as a guest. I think this dish almost qualifies as dessert.

Sweet Potatoes with Southern Comfort

• 3 pounds sweet potatoes or yams, unpeeled
• 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup Southern Comfort
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• Vanilla Rum Pecans - Recipe follows

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place the unpeeled sweet potatoes or yams in a baking dish or roaster and pour about two inches of cold water on them. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil.

Bake until tender, about one and a half hours. If water evaporates (unlikely) add more. Remove from the oven, remove foil and cool until you can handle the potatoes. Peel the potatoes; puree in batches with all other ingredients except the pecans in a food processor until smooth.

Spoon into a serving dish and sprinkle with candied pecans. Can be made up to two days in advance and refrigerated. Do not add the pecans until just before serving.

Vanilla Rum Pecans

• 2 cups whole pecans
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2-3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 Tablespoons dark rum
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Toss the pecans with the melted butter and dark brown sugar. Spread the nuts on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil and roast for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nuts are glazed and slightly browned.

Remove the nuts from the oven and toss with the vanilla, rum and cinnamon. Be careful, since the vanilla and rum contain alcohol. Return the nuts to the oven for another three or four minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool completely before using. Store in a sealed container or Ziploc bag. These nuts are great for snacking at any time.

TIP: If you don't keep such things as Southern Comfort or dark rum around the pantry, you can buy more economical miniatures in most of the larger liquor stores.

Gene Burns<.i>