Description
This Japanese Sweet Potato Crème Brûlée blends the natural sweetness of satsumaimo (Japanese sweet potatoes) with a rich, creamy custard and a crisp caramelized sugar topping for a unique twist on the classic French dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 medium Japanese sweet potato (about 200g)
- 3 large egg yolks
- 40g (about 3 tbsp) granulated sugar (for custard)
- 200ml heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Extra granulated sugar (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150°C (300°F).
- Peel and cut the Japanese sweet potato into small chunks. Steam until very tender, about 15–20 minutes.
- Mash the sweet potato until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
- In a bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar until pale and slightly thickened.
- In a saucepan, heat heavy cream over medium heat until just starting to simmer, then remove from heat.
- Gradually pour the warm cream into the egg mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs.
- Add mashed sweet potato, vanilla extract, and salt to the mixture. Blend until smooth using a blender or immersion blender.
- Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve for a silky texture.
- Pour the custard into ramekins and place them in a baking dish. Add hot water to the dish to create a water bath, filling halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
- Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the custard is set but still slightly jiggly in the center.
- Remove from oven and water bath. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, sprinkle a thin, even layer of granulated sugar over each custard. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until golden and crisp.
- Let the topping harden for a minute, then serve immediately.
Notes
- You can substitute Japanese sweet potato with regular sweet potato, but the flavor will differ.
- Make sure to strain the custard for the smoothest texture.
- Don’t overbake the custards; they should still have a slight wobble in the center.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Japanese
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ramekin
- Calories: 260
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 40mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 22g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 120mg
