Sweet Potato Soufflé

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (900g) sweet potatoes, (peeled and cut into inch cubes)
• salt (to taste)
• ½ cup (105g) brown sugar
• 6 large eggs, (separated )
• 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
• ½ cup (120ml) evaporated milk (or whole milk)
• ⅓ cup (75g) unsalted butter, (melted)
• ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons (9-10g) baking powder
• 1-2 teaspoons (5-12g) salt
• 1 teaspoon (2g) ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon (2g) ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon (1g) ground nutmeg ((optional))

Steps

1. 1

   Rinse, peel, and cut the sweet potatoes into chunks, then add to a medium saucepan. Water should cover the potatoes at least an inch. Add salt to taste.

2. 2

   Bring to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat. Cook until tender, and potatoes can be easily pierced with a fork—about 12 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.

3. 3

   Drain water and simmer for about 1 minute or until water has evaporated.

4. 4

   Preheat oven to 350℉/177℃.

5. 5

   Separate the egg yolks and whites, set the whites aside.

6. 6

   Place in a large mixing bowl. While sweet potatoes are still hot, add the brown sugar, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and evaporated milk. Thoroughly mix using a handheld mixer. A stand mixer works just as well.

7. 7

   Add melted butter and mix. Follow with the flour, baking powder, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Continue mixing until smooth and thoroughly blended.

8. 8

   In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff, glossy peaks. This helps soufflé from being too dense. Do not overbeat.

9. 9

   Gently fold in a third of the egg whites to the sweet potato mixture using a large spatula. This initially lightens up the mixture and prepares the batter for the remaining egg whites.

10. 10

    Add the remaining egg whites all at once and gently fold them until barely any white streaks remain. Stop folding.

11. 11

    Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan (or 3½- to 5-quart casserole or divide it in ramekins). In this recipe, I split the sweet potato soufflé in half. One half I baked in a casserole (about a 2-quart casserole dish) and the rest in ramekins.

12. 12

    Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until well puffed and slightly brown on top. Do not open the oven door for at least 20 minutes to prevent cold air from collapsing the soufflé. The soufflé will deflate slightly when removed from the oven.

13. 13

    Serve immediately. Enjoy!