Dulce Poblano de Camote (Mexican Sweet Potato Pudding)
A silky small batch sweet potato pudding from Puebla, enriched with butter and cream, spiced with Mexican canela and finished with orange zest and plumped raisins.
Servings 4 servings
Ingredients
For the Pudding
- 12 ounces sweet potato peeled weight, about 1 large
- ⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- ¾ teaspoon orange zest finely grated, no white pith
- 1 teaspoon ground Mexican cinnamon (canela) or 1 canela stick
- 2 tablespoons raisins plumped in warm water or orange juice
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cook and Puree
- Bake the sweet potato whole at 400 degrees F for 45 to 55 minutes, or peel, cube and steam it for 20 minutes until a knife meets no resistance. Do not boil it in water, the flesh absorbs it and the pudding turns thin.
- Push the warm flesh through a fine mesh sieve or a ricer, then blend for 15 seconds for a truly smooth puree. You want about 12 ounces of cooked flesh.
- Cover the raisins with warm water or orange juice and leave them 15 minutes, then drain.
Cook and Finish
- Put the puree, sugar, salt and ground canela in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat and stir steadily for 8 to 10 minutes, until the mass loosens, then thickens and turns glossy. If using a canela stick, warm it in the cream for 10 minutes and lift it out first.
- Pull the pan off the heat completely. Stir in the butter until it disappears, then the cream, then the vanilla, then the drained raisins.
- Stir in the orange zest last of all, off the heat, so its oils stay bright.
- Spoon into 4 small glasses or jars. Serve warm and loose, or chill 2 hours for a firmer set custard texture. Dust with canela before serving.
Notes
- Bake or steam, never boil: Boiled flesh absorbs water and gives a thin pudding.
- Sieve the puree: Sweet potato fiber is very noticeable in a dessert this smooth.
- Cream goes in off the heat: Added over high heat it splits and dulls the color.
- Zest goes in last: Its oils cook off quickly and the orange is the signature note of this dish.
- Poblano means from Puebla: There is no chile in this recipe.
- Storage: Up to 4 days refrigerated with wrap pressed onto the surface. Do not freeze.