Sweet Potato Creme Brûlée

Chef Selina Progar shares her recipe for her divine Sweet Potato Crème Brûlée.

Yield - 6 ramekins
Specialty tools needed- ramekins, casserole dish, torch, stand mixer, candy or digital thermometer
Oven used - standard, no convection

Ingredients
Yams- Orange
1 large potato, you need 8 oz after processing
18 oz Heavy Cream
4 oz Sugar
5 g Salt
7 Yolks, each from large eggs
4 g Cinnamon
2 g Ground Ginger
2 g Ground Nutmeg
100 g Sugar - just for the brûlée

Directions
Peel and cut up the sweet potato into cubes, in a bowl toss in a little bit of vegetable oil, place on to a pan lined with foil, and roast at 350 until very fork-tender. The fork should have zero tug and go right in and right out of the potato. Start at 45 minutes.

Once the potatoes are done roasting, mash sweet potatoes and press through a fine-mesh strainer, rice, blend or place in a food processor until smooth. Set aside. This can be done the day before, to reduce prep time. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Bring heavy cream and spice to a boil. In a separate bowl whisk together yolk, sugar, and salt

Temper (Pour half of the cream into the yolk mixture and whisk until combined) then add the remaining cream. Whisk until combined. Add sweet potatoes and whisk until incorporated.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees.

Place ramekins in a deep foil pan or casserole dish. Fill the dish 1/2 way up, not the ramekins, with water and place the tray in the oven on a rack that is sightly ajar from the rest of the racks. Carefully ladle or pour with a small pitcher the creme brûlée batter into each disk about 1/2 inch from the top. Carefully push the the rack into the oven and close the door.

Bake at 300 degrees starting at 50 minutes. Test the creme brûlée by slightly shaking the dish, make sure the custard in the center is not liquid and does not jiggle. If more time is needed, bake in 8 minute intervals. Carefully remove the pan of water and ramekins from the oven.

Carefully remove the ramekins from the water bath, and let rest on your counter for 15 minutes. Then place into the fridge for at least 3 hours. To cool all the way through

Top with sugar, and torch until the sugar begins to caramelize.

Place a dollop of mallow fluff on top, and tap with the torch to your color liking.

Marshmallow Fluff

Ingredients

120 g Egg Whites
25 g Sugar #1
235 g Corn Syrup
144 g Sugar #2
50 g Water #1
1 tsp Gelatin
2 Tbls Cold Water

Directions
Bloom gelatin by sprinkling it over cold water, and let sit.

Place egg whites on the mixer and whip until foamy, slowly add the first sugar to whites

In a pot combine water #1, corn syrup, sugar #2, be sure there are no dry spots of sugar. Brush the sides of the pot with a clean brush and water. This will reduce crystallization of the sugar. Cook to 248 degrees on either a digital thermometer or a candy thermometer.

While the egg whites are mixing on high speed, carefully and slowly pour the sugar mixture down the side of mixing bowl to create a meringue. Add the gelatin immediately, while the mixing bowl is hot. Mix on high speed until the bowl is cool to touch on the inside of your wrist.

Store in an air tight container in the fridge. Top the creme brûlée with fluff and torch to caramelize.

Recipe by Selina Progar/ Styling by Keith Recker / Photography by Dave Bryce