Sweet Potato Flan Food

SWEET POTATO FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce sweet potato with fork; roast until tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, depending on width of potato. Cool. Cut potato in half and scoop flesh into mini processor; puree until smooth. Measure 1 cup puree (reserve any remaining puree for another use). Maintain oven temperature.
• Stir 1/2 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons water in medium saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 5 minutes. Immediately pour caramel into 8-inch-diameter metal cake pan, leaving about 2 tablespoons caramel in saucepan. Using pot holders, swirl cake pan, allowing caramel to coat bottom and about 1/2 inch up sides.
• Add half and half to remaining caramel in saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until caramel dissolves. Whisk eggs in medium bowl until frothy. Whisk in cream, salt, 1 cup sweet potato puree, and remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Gradually whisk in hot half and half mixture. Strain into same saucepan. Stir over medium heat 1 minute. Remove from heat; whisk in Port. Pour custard into prepared cake pan.
• Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake until just set in center, about 1 hour. Remove flan from water. Chill until cold, about 5 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; keep chilled.
• Dip bottom and 1 inch up sides of cake pan into pan of hot water 15 seconds. Wipe dry. Invert onto rimmed plate, scraping caramel in pan over flan.

SWEET-POTATO FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, and roast until very soft, about 1 hour. Allow to cool. Peel off skin, and discard. Place sweet potatoes in the bowl of a food processor, and puree until completely smooth. Measure 1 1/2 cups puree, reserving any excess for another use. This step may be done a day in advance.
• Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Combine 1 cup sugar and the water in a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Brush down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent crystallization. Increase heat to medium-high; boil, without stirring, until the syrup turns a deep amber, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour caramel into savarin mold or a 9-by-2-inch round cake pan. Holding the pan with pot holders, swirl to coat bottom and halfway up sides of dish.
• In a large bowl, combine sweet-potato puree, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, allspice, cinnamon, salt, eggs, and egg yolks. Mix in vanilla and scalded milk, then pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Pour into caramel-lined pan, and cover with foil. Set in a roasting pan, and pour boiling water into the roasting pan halfway up sides of flan dish.
• Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until center of flan is nearly set: A thin-bladed knife inserted in the center should come out clean. Let cool to room temperature, and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
• To unmold, run a sharp knife carefully around flan, and cover with a serving plate; invert quickly. Remove pan; serve.

SWEET POTATO FLAN

Steps:

• Pierce sweet potatoes several times with a fork; place on a baking sheet.
• Bake at 375* for 1 hour or until done; cool to touch.
• Peel sweet potatoes, and mash.
• Set aside 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes; reserve any remaining sweet potatoes for another use.
• Sprinkle sugar in a 10-inch round cakepan; place over medium heat, and cook, shaking pan constantly, until sugar melts and turns a light golden brown.
• Remove from heat, and set aside.
• (Melted sugar may crack slightly as it cools).
• Combine half of sweet potatoes, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, and half of next 6 ingredients in container of an electric blender; blend until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides.
• Pour mixture into a large bowl.
• Repeat procedure; add to bowl, stirring well with a wire whisk.
• Pour mixture over caramelized sugar in cakepan; cover with aluminum foil, and place in a larger shallow pan.
• Add hot water to larger pan to depth of 1/2 inch.
• Bake at 325* for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
• Remove cakepan from water, and uncover; cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes.
• Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
• Loosen edges of flan from pan with a small knife; invert onto a serving plate.
• Garnish, if desired, with toasted coconut.
• Yield: 1 (10-inch) flan.

RED YAM FLAN

Steps:

• Prepare the caramel and coat a 9-inch round cake pan, reserving the extra caramel sauce in the refrigerator as directed above. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Rub the yam with vegetable oil, place on a baking tray and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a knife easily pierces the potato at its thickest part. Set aside until cool enough to handle, then peel and mash with a fork (the mashed potato should measure about 1 cup). Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Prepare the caramel and coat a 9-inch round cake pan, reserving the extra sauce in the refrigerator as directed. In a large bowl combine all remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Pass through a strainer, pressing with a spatula, into the caramel coated cake pan. Place the cake in a water bath. Bake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the center just feels firm when pressed. Set aside to cool in the water bath. Remove from the water bath, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours, or overnight. To serve cut in wedges and top with cold caramel sauce.

SWEET-POTATO FLANS

Steps:

• Cook sweet potatoes in large pot of boiling water until tender, about 35 minutes. Drain well. Let cool 20 minutes. Peel potatoes. Transfer to medium bowl; mash until smooth. Set aside.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Stir 2 cups sugar and 3/4 cup water in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. Working quickly, divide caramel among twelve 3/4-cup custard cups or soufflé dishes, tilting cups to cover bottom with caramel. Cool.
• Whisk mashed sweet potatoes, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, vanilla and salt in large bowl to blend well. Combine cream and orange peel in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Gradually whisk cream into potato-egg mixture. Strain mixture into 2-quart measuring cup or bowl; discard solids in strainer. Divide mixture among custard cups. Place 6 cups in each of 2 large baking pans. Add enough hot water to baking pans to come halfway up sides of cups. Bake flans until sides are set but center still moves slightly when cups are shaken. Remove cups from water and cool about 40 minutes. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours and up to 2 days. Run small sharp knife around edges to loosen. Turn flans out onto plates and serve.

SWEET POTATO FLAN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, and roast until very soft, about 1 hour. Allow to cool. Peel off the skin, and discard. Place the sweet potatoes in the bowl of a food processor, and puree until completely smooth. Measure 1 1/2 cups puree, reserving any excess for another use. This step may be done 1 day ahead.
• Reduce the oven to 325°F. Combine 1 cup sugar and the water in a small saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Brush down the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water to prevent crystallization. Increase heat to medium-high; boil, without stirring, until the syrup turns a deep amber, 5 to 6 minutes. Pour the caramel into a savarin mold or a 9 × 2-inch round cake pan. Holding the pan with pot holders, swirl to coat the bottom and halfway up the sides of the dish.
• In a large bowl, combine the sweet potato puree, remaining 3/4 cup sugar, allspice, cinnamon, salt, eggs, and egg yolks. Mix in the vanilla and scalded milk, and then pass the mixture through a fine sieve. Pour into the caramel-lined pan, and cover with foil. Set in a roasting pan, and pour boiling water into the roasting pan halfway up the sides of the flan dish.
• Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the center of the flan is nearly set: A thin-bladed knife inserted in the center should come out clean. Let cool to room temperature, and place in the refrigerator to chill overnight.
• To unmold, run a sharp knife carefully around the flan, and cover with a serving plate; invert quickly. Remove the pan; serve.