Happy Thanksgiving!!
Happy Thanksgiving! Today is a day that surely belongs in the Sweet Potato Hall of Fame. Thousands of pounds of sweet potatoes have just been served in what is usually on the the largest and healthiest meals of the year. Our favorite orange spud was turned into cakes, pies and casseroles in households all across the nation. We truly live in a great country, where we can have something new to be thankful about everyday. Below are some of the great sweet potato recipes that I am thankful for this year.
A perennial southern that has gained popularity across the United States is Sweet Potato Pie. No one can quite agree on what makes the perfect Sweet Potato pie. Some are light and silky smooth, others are thick and super-rich. Some are spicy and some let the sweet potatoes speak for themselves. One thing can never be argued, though. They are all delicious. Here is one of my favorite versions. Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. If you use nutmeg in your pie, try fresh ground. The flavor is so much better, and it really makes the pie come alive.
Another popular Autumn dessert is Sweet Potato Cheesecake. One of the best is Emeril Lagasse’s Sweet Potato Cheesecake with bourbon whipped cream. It has just the right amount of Sweet Potato to lend a beautiful light orange color and a sweet – but not too sweet – flavor. The bourbon whipped cream is a perfect accent. One note, this recipe calls for Steen’s cane syrup, which can be hard to find outside of Louisianna, but you can substitute corn syrup instead.
Of course, no Thanksgiving meal would be complete without a sweet potato casserole. To its loyal fans, nothing can compete with this blend of perfectly spiced mash sweet potatoes covered with mounds of ooey-gooey marshmallows. This casserole is hard to beat, its easy, delicious and looks beautiful on the table. I mean, what looks better than those toasty brown ‘mallows resting on top of all that sweet orange goodness.
PS: A great idea for any leftover mashed sweet potatoes is to make Holiday Left-Over Sweet Potato Cakes. These cakes are so moist and delcious, the don’t even need icing. Make them now, or freeze your leftover’s and make them for Christmas!