Right up there with, “can I get the recipe for those famous patties?”, is the request for pain patate recipe. Since the ‘pate’ secret will remain just that, a secret, I thought I’d offer a nice compromise: the recipe for Pain Patate. I am not a fan of making this dessert because I find the process of cooking and stirring the sweet potato mixture to be a bit tedious, however, there’s no getting around it, at least not without sacrificing quality. However, this dessert is absolutely delicious and is worth the arm workout.
Pain Patate (Sweet Potato Bread Pudding)
1 pound sweet white yams
16 oz of canned grated coconut
1 pound ripe bananas, peeled and mashed (about 5 bananas)
1/3 cup raisins
3/4 cup evaporated milk
2/3 cup condensed milk (add more or less to adjust to your sweetness level)
1/2 cup butter, melted, plus extra for buttering the pan
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
zest of 1 lime
1/8 teaspoon salt
Peel and grate the sweet potatos into a large bowl. Mix in the coconut, bananas, raisins, evaporated milk, condensed milk, butter, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla, lime zest and salt. Pour the mixture into a large, heavy-bottom saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it comes to a strong simmer. At about 30 minutes the sweet potato mixture is cooked.
Heat the Oven to 375 degrees. Pour the mixture into a buttered 8-inch square metal baking pan. Flatten the top with a spatula. Place in preheated oven and bake at 375 degrees for about 30-45 minutes or until top is dark brown.
Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold so the pudding can set.
When ready to serve, heat the pudding in the oven at 350 degrees until warmed through, about 15 minutes. You may enjoy alone or with ice cream.
Nadege Fleurimond is the owner & business manager of Fleurimond Catering, Inc., an off-premise catering firm serving the NY/NJ/CT/MA areas. She is also the author of a Taste of Life: A Culinary Memoir, a humorous and heart warming compilation of recipes and funny anecdotes. (http://www.nadegefleurimond.com)
Please submit thoughts and questions pertaining to the column via email at nadege1981@gmail.com.