Doce de Batata Doce (Brazilian Sweet Potato Compote)
A spoonable Brazilian sweet potato compote, cooked down in a clove, cinnamon and lime syrup until half the potato collapses and half stays in soft glossy pieces.
Servings 8 servings
Ingredients
For the Compote
- 2 lb sweet potato peeled, cut into ¾ inch cubes
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups water
- 6 whole cloves whole, not ground
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 wide strip lime peel no white pith
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice stirred in off the heat
Instructions
Make the Compote
- Peel the sweet potato and cut it into even ¾ inch cubes.
- Put the sugar, water, whole cloves, cinnamon stick, lime peel and salt in a wide heavy pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and stir just until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the sweet potato cubes, reduce to a lazy simmer, and leave the pot uncovered. Cook 40 to 50 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes or so.
- Stop when about half the potato has collapsed into a thick amber sauce and the rest is still in soft, distinct, glossy pieces. The syrup should coat the back of a spoon.
- Off the heat, stir in the lime juice. Remove all 6 cloves, the cinnamon stick and the lime peel.
- Cool completely in the pot before judging the final texture, since it thickens a lot as it cools. Spoon into a jar.
Notes
- This is not the Argentine block: Argentine dulce de batata is a firm sliceable paste set with pectin. Brazilian doce de batata doce is spoonable, with pieces of potato in syrup. The Dominican version is a milk pudding with raisins.
- Cook the potato IN the syrup, never boiled in water first. That is the difference between a compote and mashed sweet potato with sugar in it.
- Whole cloves only. Count 6 in and 6 out. Ground clove turns muddy and bitter over a long simmer.
- Stir gently and rarely. Every aggressive stir breaks down more cubes. The target is half collapsed, half in pieces.
- Cold saucer test: a spoonful on a chilled plate for 60 seconds shows you what the jar will be like tomorrow.
- Storage: 2 weeks refrigerated in an airtight jar, or 3 months frozen. This recipe has not been tested for water bath canning.