FOOD NEWS
Elevate Sweet Potatoes To Gourmet With A Beautiful Brûlée Finish
By Corin MJ Bae
If you want to seriously upgrade your sweet potatoes from basic to gourmet, turn them into a beautiful crème brûlée to get an Instagram-worthy dessert.
Imo Pippi, a sweet potato-focused sweets shop in Tokyo, is famous for its crème brûlée set inside a roasted sweet potato skin and has inspired people to recreate the dish at home.
You can cut the sweet potato open to use it as a shell for your delicious crème brûlée or scoop out the sweet potato flesh to incorporate it into the crème brûlée custard itself.
If you're following the Imo Pippi method, roast your sweet potatoes on a baking sheet for a fluffier texture or wrap them in foil for more moisture and a softer mouthfeel.
To make the filling, start with a standard egg yolk, caster sugar, vanilla, and cream custard, then incorporate the sweet potato after whisking.
When you're carving or scooping the roasted sweet potato, make sure to leave a good layer of sweet potato flesh to hold the custard inside instead of turning it into a leaking mess.
Let the sweet potatoes cool before adding the filling so the heat doesn't overcook the custard. Top them with sugar and torch them for that caramelized sheen before serving.
Imo Pippi's crème brûlée sweet potato is made with a Murasaki sweet potato, which has purple skin and golden flesh that's markedly moister and sweeter than red or orange varieties.