sweet potato bread pudding

And here it is friends: recipe number 2 of 5 in 5 days...my very favorite sweet potato recipe yet.  Oh. Yes.

Its no secret around here that I like bread pudding.  There are already two variations here on Bella Eats, and I have no doubt that there will be more in the coming years.  When trying to come up with a new sweet potato dish this year (the marshmallow-topped, super-sweet casserole just doesn't do it for me) bread pudding popped into my head and nagged and nagged until I did a quick internet search to see if anybody else had tried it yet.  Of course, I found a great recipe at The Kitchn (they've done everything already, haven't they?!?) and decided to try it out and tweak it if needed.  Not surprising, it was perfect. Even after I cut the recipe to 2/3s (who does that?!?).  If you don't have an 8x4 round soufflé pan and want to use a 9x13 instead, pop on over to The Kitchn for their proportions.

Seriously, I hope you all try this recipe for a holiday meal this season.  It would be great served right alongside the turkey, or drizzled with the caramel sauce for dessert.  So delicious.

Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with Caramel Pecan Sauce

serves 8

based on this recipe from The Kitchn

For the Bread Pudding:

• 1 large garnet sweet potato (about 1 pound)
• butter (for your baking dish)
• (1) loaf day old Challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• ⅔ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp molasses
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of allspice
• pinch of salt
• 1-⅓ cups heavy cream
• 1-⅓ cups milk

For the Sauce:

• 1 stick butter
• ½ cup pecan halves
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• ⅔ cups heavy cream

Method

1. Peel and cut the sweet potato into 2-inch chunks.  Steam until tender (about 15 minutes). Set aside to cool.
2. While the potatoes steam, generously butter a 8" round by 4" tall soufflé dish.  Or, a 9x9x2 baking dish would work, too, but your baking time may be a little less.  Place the bread cubes in the dish.
3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla, spices, salt, milk, and heavy cream.
4. Once the sweet potatoes are cool, mash or puree them until smooth.  Add them to the egg mixture and blend thoroughly.  Pour the mixture over the bread and press down the bread with the back of a wooden spoon to ensure all the bread cubes are soaked in the custard mixture.  Let sit for about 20 minutes or up to 4 hours (refrigerate if it will sit for that long) while you preheat the oven to 350℉.
5. Place the bread pudding in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes, until the edges are browned and the custard is set.
6. To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan.  Add the pecans and simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Add the sugar and stir continuously until smooth.  Add the cream and stir to combine.  Simmer for about 5 minutes until the mixture is reduced to a thick sauce.
7. Serve pudding warm with the sauce drizzled over top.

sweet potato biscuits

I have had this post queued up and ready to go for the last two weeks. Two. Weeks. The problem is, two weeks these days feels more like two hours. Time is flying faster than Harry Potter chasing the golden snitch. (Can you tell that my Thanksgiving plans include a trip to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter? That's pretty much all I can think about in between shooting and editing and shooting some more.) These biscuits were meant to welcome November and the sweet potato madness that comes with it but, instead, they're being offered up as a potential Thanksgiving morning breakfast. That works too, right? I think it is a brilliant idea.

Imagine Thanksgiving morning: the too-early wake-up call, the hours of cooking laid out in front of you, the stress of making sure the turkey is cooked just right. Now, picture the container of freshly (as in the night before) baked biscuits waiting for you as you start the coffee. The thin slices of salt-cured ham in the refrigerator. The pairing of that salty ham with those barely-sweet biscuits, which are easy to hold in one hand as you pull out celery and carrots and onions for chopping. Not bad, right? Make it come true, friends. Take a bit of time Wednesday night to whip up these beauties so they'll be ready to fuel you Thursday morning. You'll be oh-so-glad you did.

Sweet Potato Biscuits

from gourmet

makes 8 mid-size biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 lb sweet potatoes (1 large or 2 small)
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 425℉ with the rack in the middle.
2. Prick the sweet potatoes in several places with a fork, then bake on a baking sheet until very tender, 1 to 1-1/4 hours.  Cool slightly, then halve lengthwise and discard skin. Purée sweet potato in a food processor.  Transfer 1 cup purée to a bowl (reserve any remainder for another use) and stir in milk.  Chill until cold, about 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 425℉ again.  Grease a large baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
4. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.  Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Add sweet potato mixture and stir just until a dough forms.
5. Drop dough in 10 equal mounds onto greased baking sheet, spacing them 1-1/2 inches apart.
6. Bake until lightly browned and cooked through, 18 to 22 minutes.  Transfer biscuits to a rack to cool.

butternut squash + sweet potato soup

I think I owe you all this one. Something healthy, hearty, warming, and veggie-full. If I were you I'd be a little upset with me, returning after 3 months away with sticky buns. And empanadas. And cake. Especially with all of those resolutions floating around at the back of your mind, begging to be broken by a lemon-scented, butter and cream-filled dessert. That's just wasn't fair of me, was it?

So, here you go; my new favorite soup. A version of which I've been making for many years...but there is just something so right about this particular one. Perhaps it is the incredibly frigid winter we're having in Charlottesville; a January full of gray skies that threaten, but haven't truly delivered, a good snow. Cheerful orange soups are especially good during months like that. Or maybe it is the fact that I work out of my home office now, and that every now and then as I sit at my computer, blanket and cat warming my lap, fingers nearly frozen, I'll think "soup would be wonderful for lunch". And then I get up and go to the kitchen and make this one. Soup cooked under those circumstances tastes just a little better, I think, and I'm liking that perk of self-employment very, very much.

Even made in the evening this soup is a big hit. Smooth and rich without the addition of cream, hearty and earthy and rosemary-scented, quick and easy and made in one pot. What's not to like? Please try it, I'd love to hear what you think.

Butternut Squash + Sweet Potato Soup
serves 4

Ingredients:

• (1) small butternut squash, about 1.5 pounds, diced (1/2-inch)
• (2) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (1/2-inch)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3-inch sprig of fresh rosemary
• 2 tbsp butter
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• salt + pepper

Method:

1. Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and rosemary and stir to coat. Cover pot and allow veggies to sweat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. After 10 minutes, add broth. Bring to a boil then drop heat to moderate simmer. Let soup simmer for an additional 20 minutes, until potatoes and squash are quite tender.  Remove rosemary sprig.  Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, puree' soup until smooth and creamy.  Salt and pepper to taste.