Consider this sweet potato flan

as an alternative to pie this Thanksgiving

Quick note - I’ll be slinging slices at Bar Pomona on Wednesday from 2pm until sold out. The bar will be open for wine and shopping (no food service), and I’ll of course also be hosting my whole cake pick ups for the Thanksgiving menu at the same time (don’t worry, I have help). If you’ve pre-ordered a whole cake (or Homeslice Pie), no need to wait in line- just come right in!

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Last week I promised to share with you my sweet potato pie filling - this is not that! I can’t for the life of me find the pink three ringed notebook that contains that particular recipe (don’t ask why it’s not digitized, my executive dysfunction simply wouldn’t allow it). I did, however, find a very similar recipe for a sweet potato flan I used to make in my restaurant days. I’d bake it in individual ramekins then, but here I’ve converted it into a family-style portion fit for Thanksgiving. You’ll need to bake it at least a day ahead, though you could make it as early as Tuesday.

I keep the spices in this base recipe fairly simple - just a hint of cinnamon- though you should feel free to experiment here : cardamom, nutmeg, mace, clove, or a sliver of orange peel would all be delicious. I used a dash of Heilala vanilla-coffee extract in mine and loved it. The Indianapolis-based baker Zoë Taylor introduced me to the idea of pairing coffee with warm spices, pumpkin, or carrot cake, and I’ve been playing with the combination ever since  - you could even slip a sprinkle of espresso powder into the custard base as its warming.

You’ll need about two sweet potatoes for this recipe, though I’d do three or four since weights can vary so much (I’ll snack on any extra roasted sweet potato later). To roast, I place the whole, scrubbed sweet potatoes on a silpat in a 350 degree oven for about an hour, until they are very, very soft and any juices that have spilled out have begun to caramelize on the tray. Allow to cool and the skin will slip right off. 

Oh and you can definitely substitute canned pumpkin or the flesh of a roasted butternut squash for the sweet potato here in a 1:1 ratio!

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Sweet Potato Flan

For the caramel:

¾ cup / 150 grams sugar

3 tablespoons water 

For the custard:

Approx 1 cup / 250 grams roasted sweet potato, skin removed

1 cup / 200 grams sugar 

1 cup / 236 grams cream

1 cup / 236 grams whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¾ teaspoon salt

4 eggs

4 egg yolks

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Preheat the oven to 325. 

For the caramel:

Combine the milk and cream in a measuring cup and set aside. 

Have a 9” metal cake pan ready to go to the side of your stove, as well as a large roasting pan that can easily accommodate your cake pan. 

Combine the water and sugar in a medium non-reactive pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally with a heat proof spatula, until the sugar has dissolved. Continue to cook without stirring until the caramel is a medium amber, about the color of a penny. If your sugar looks like it’s about to crystallize, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and allow the build up of steam within to dissolve the crystals. I like to err on the side of undercooking the caramel at this stage. When your caramel has achieved a nice color, scrape into your cake pan. Gently tilt the pan until the caramel reaches the edges. If the caramel seizes up or is a little lighter than you’d like, simply place the pan on top of a burner on your stove over very low heat until it warms up and deepens in color. You can also pop your pan in the oven for 5-10 minutes and achieve the same effect. Allow the caramel pan to cool completely. 

For the custard:

Without washing out your caramel pot, take it back to the stove and add your milk and cream. Warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the traces of caramel in the pot dissolve. Add the sweet potato, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and whatever other spices you’re using and cook until the sugar has fully dissolved. While your dairy mixture is warming, crack your eggs and separate your yolks and place them in a medium bowl.

When your sugar has fully dissolved in your milk/cream mixture, pop the contents of the pot in a blender (I use a magic bullet) and blend until very smooth. Whisk the eggs and egg yolks together and, whisking continuously, add the warm sweet potato custard in a thin stream into your eggs. Pass the custard through a fine mesh strainer directly into your cooled caramel pan.

Fold a tea towel and place it in the bottom of your roasting pan (this will keep your flan from sliding around). Place the flan in the center and fill with hot tap water about half way up the side. Cover the pan tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake for anywhere from 50 minutes to an hour and ten minutes (cooking time can vary widely depending on the size of your roasting pan). You’re looking for your flan to be set around the edges and have a seductive wobble in the center - if you have a probe thermometer, you can poke the middle gently (you’re looking for an internal temp of 175). Allow your flan to cool at room temp for about half an hour before refrigerating overnight (or at least ten hours or so, but you’ll ideally have a full overnight rest to allow the caramel to soften). The next day, just before serving, run a thin bladed knife around the perimeter of the flan. Place a plate over top of the pan, and flip the flan out (if it’s sticking a bit, put the pan briefly over a burner or a pot of simmering water and the caramel will loosen right up).The caramel should pool around the base of the flan. I am not ashamed to say I have been known to lift the plate to my lips at this point and take a little sip :-)