Sweet Candied Papayacape Verde Food

SWEET POTATO PIE WITH CANDIED PECANS AND COCONUT

Steps:

• For the crust: Pulse the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor until combined. Add half of the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine cornmeal. Add the remaining butter and continue pulsing until no pieces are larger than peas. Add 2 tablespoons of the ice water and pulse until combined. Add just enough of the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water, a little at a time, and pulse until the dough just comes together and holds its shape when squeezed. Turn the dough out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap, gather into a disc and wrap well. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
• Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface to an 11-inch circle and fit it into a 9-inch pie plate. Crimp the edges and refrigerate the dough until chilled, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust several times with the tines of a fork. Fit a piece of aluminum foil over the crust and fill the foil with pie weights or dry beans. Bake until the edges of the crust are golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the foil and weights, return the crust to the oven and continue to bake until the bottom of the crust is lightly golden and no longer shiny, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Cool completely.
• For the filling: While the crust cools, use a fork to prick the yams all over. Place them on a rimmed baking sheet and roast with the oven still at 350 degrees F until very soft, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel and mash until very smooth; you should have about 2 cups. Transfer the mash to a medium bowl and add the cream, brown sugar, vanilla, allspice, ginger, salt and eggs. Whisk just until smooth. Gently tap the bottom of the bowl a few times to release any air bubbles.
• Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake until the center of the pie is set and no longer shiny, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes; if the edges of the crust brown too quickly, cover them loosely with foil. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool.
• For the topping: Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat until melted. Stir in the brown sugar, vanilla and salt, stirring until the mixture starts to bubble. Stir in the pecans and cook until the nuts are toasted and have absorbed most of the buttery sugar mixture, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and gently stir in the coconut. Spoon over the pie and press gently to adhere to the filling. Let stand at least 20 minutes to cool. Serve the pie with whipped cream if desired.

REALLY REALLY GOOD CANDIED SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Cover potatoes with water, bring to a boil.
• Lower heat and simmer for 25 minutes, until done.
• When cooled, peel and cut into chunks.
• Place in 2-qt baking dish.
• In small saucepan combine remaining ingredients, cook and stir until mixture boils.
• Pour over potatoes.
• Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes.

SWEET AND SPICY CANDIED PECANS - WITH A KICK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Combine corn syrup and next 4 ingredients in large bowl. Stir to blend. Add pecans; stir gently to coat. Transfer to baking sheet.
• Place large piece of foil on work surface. Bake pecans 5 minutes. Using fork, stir pecans to coat with melted spice mixture. Continue baking until pecans are golden and coating bubbles, about 10 minutes. Transfer to foil. Working quickly, separate nuts with fork. Cool. (Can be made 3 days ahead- store airtight at room temperature).
• Makes 1 1/2 cups.
• NOTE: Recipe is easily doubled, freezes well in ziplock bags.
• Serve as a snack, topping for appetizers or salads (see my Waldorf Salad recipe #117914) or candied sweet potatoes, -or- give as a gift for the holidays.

SWEET CANDIED PAPAYA(CAPE VERDE)

Steps:

• Peel the papaya, remove the seeds and cut the flesh either into strips or into 1" cubes.
• Combine the water and sugar in a large pot. Heat until the sugar has dissolved then add the papaya pieces along with the cinnamon stick, cloves and lemon zest. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat without stirring until the sugar becomes a thick syrup (about 20 minutes boiling).
• At this point take the pan off the heat and set aside until cooled to room temperature.
• Turn the papaya and syrup mixture into a jar and store in the refrigerator. It is typically served as a dessert with cottage (farmer's) cheese or yoghurt.