Creme Brûlée Baked in Sweet Potato

Sweet potato

Preheat oven to 375.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Wash and scrub the sweet potato under water. Using a fork, pierce all over to allow steam to escape.

Bake for about 45 minutes to a hour until soft and the skin is starting to collapse and wrinkle.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly on the baking sheet.

Once cooled enough to handle, cut off a cap of the sweet potato and scoop out some of the flesh. You want to keep enough inside of it for support but enough to make room for the creme brûlée custard. They should now look like tiny canoes/boats ready for the custard filling.

Custard

In a medium saucepan, heat the cream until scalding.

In a medium sized bowl, mix the egg yolks, sugar and salt together. Using a ladle, slowly stream in the cream while continuing to whisk. Once all of the cream has been mixed into the egg yolk mixture, pour everything back into the saucepan. Over medium heat, using a rubber spatula, stir until the mixture has thickened to a runny custard.

Pour the custard into the roasted sweet potato boats.

Once the sweet potatoes are all filled, return to the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the filling is almost setting up with a slight jiggle in the center.

Remove from the oven, transfer to a plate and place into the refrigerator for about 15-20 minutes to cool the custard slightly. It should remain somewhat warm. You don’t want it to be completely cold.

Once cooled slightly, cover the custard with generous sprinkle of granulated sugar. Using a blow torch, torch the sugar until melted and caramelized. Return to the fridge for a few minutes to harden the caramelized sugar.

Serve and enjoy slightly warm.