Instructions: "Maniere serve a steamed sirloin steak with a mousse made from pureed steamed sunchokes, low in fat because its enriched with low-fat cheese instead of cream. Steamed sunchokes make a magnificent buttery, ivory-colored puree, silky smooth, nutty, and pleasantly sweet, like a delicious winter squash. This low-fat recipe is superb, but if you like, you can replace the cheese with a quarter cup of creme fraiche (or the same amount of heavy cream mixed with half a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice) and two to three tablespoons of butter. Serve this mousse with fish and poultry dishes as well. Maniere made the mousse up to an hour before the steak and then reheated it, in its serving bowl, in a second steaming compartment, while the steak steamed. If you dont have a steamer with two compartments, reheat the mousse in another steamer or in a saucepan over low heat."

Put the sunchokes on the steamer rack, place over simmering water, cover, and steam until tender, about 25 minutes. Remove from the steamer, let cool slightly, and then peel with a pairing knife. Put the sunchokes into the bowl of a food processor, add the fromage blanc or cottage cheese, salt, and pepper and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl to keep warm in the steamer, or transfer to a saucepan and set aside.

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