Reprinted from Start Fresh: Your Child’s Jumpstart to Lifelong Healthy Eating by Tyler Florence. Copyright (c) 2011 by Tyler Florence. By permission of Rodale, Inc.

“This tastes like Christmas. I was looking for a puree to serve with a quail dish at my San Francisco restaurant, Wayfare Tavern, and after a few trials I landed on this savory combo. It’s crazy good.”

Photo by John Lee

Ingredients:

2 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 Bosc pear, cored and cut into chunks

3 dried figs

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

In a saucepan, combine the parsnips, pear, and figs. Add 1 ⁄2 cup water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the parsnips are tender, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Transfer the parsnips, pear, and figs along with the cooking liquid to a blender and puree until smooth consistency. Fold in the orange zest and maple syrup and stir until well blended. Serve warm.

Makes four 1/2-cup servings or two 1-cup servings