Monday, December 12, 2011

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread

I can honestly say that I have never made spoon bread before, nor eaten it for that matter.  In my mind, I imagined this recipe would produce something similar to a sweet potato casserole, but it really did not.  Had I looked up the definition I would have known better what to expect.   From My Food Lover's Companion:

spoon bread; spoonbread- A puddinglike bread usually based on cornmeal and baked in a casserole dish.  Spoon bread is generally served as a side dish and, in fact, is soft enough that it must be eaten with a spoon or fork.

As compared to eating it with an knife?  Anyway.  It turned out to be a very soft, very moist cornbread mildly flavored with sweet potato.  I expected it to be rather sweet, but instead it was an all-round mildly sweet, tasty comfort food that proved to be a nice side dish (think in the place of rolls or potatoes).  But, one day for lunch I ate it topped with some leftover chili and the next day, topped with leftover sauerkraut and peas.  Both were delicious.  I decided I like it better topped.  Jamey is smitten with it all by itself.  The kids weren't very impressed.  Such is life.

Shotty photos are inevitable with me when it's dark outside at dinnertime.

Do you do spoon bread?  It intrigues me.

Sweet Potato Spoon Bread (Better Homes and Gardens, November 2011 issue)

4 tbsp. butter
2 medium sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tbsp. thyme
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. coarse sea salt (I used 1 1/2 tsp. regular salt)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup yellow corn meal
4 large eggs, separated
2 tsp. baking powder

In a large saucepan, bring milk, thyme, sugar and salt to a low boil over medium heat.  In a slow and steady stream, whisk cornmeal into milk mixture.  Cook, stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes until the mixture is think and starts to pull away from the sides (mine pulled away in about 3 minutes, so I stopped and moved on).  Remove from heat and cool slightly.  Add potatoes, egg yolks, 3 tbsp. of butter and baking soda and mix.  In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the eggs whites on high until soft peaks form.  Fold into potato mixture.  Spoon into a greased 2 quart baking dish and bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes. (I doubled the recipe, using a 9 x 13 inch pan.) Pin It

6 comments:

  1. might try this for jer,he needs tons of recipes I must search for but I need a lot low in carbs and soft to eat,we got yelled at by the big guns---get your blood sugars down,and although I must spend a certain amount of time in the kitchen,katelynn and I have our hideaway to read,and lately she is loving this certain NEW book-makes her think,but a lot more work needed=she failed the requirements for early childhood but has a good reference for head start

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  2. I have never done spoon bread. Now I may have to.

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  3. THhP, I ate at the most amazing restaurant in Asheville this last weekend. For breakfast... :) we enjoyed a sweet potatoe pancake, as well as goat cheese grits, ham, eggs and asparagus. your spoon bread made me think to share as it was a very organic restaurant, and the pancake was heavenly. I must try this spoon bread on our Christmas break. Hope you are enjoying the season. Blessings~ Laura

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  4. Hmmm. I have never even heard the term. I am rather intrigued though...as if I don't have enough awesome sounding new recipes to try! : ) Ah, but it is fun.

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  5. I'm glad I can come back to this one -Jerry is gonna need recipes like spoon bread,I need to find a web site tho that will exchange foods that are called for in the recipe for say applesauce for the fat,-lo-cal sweetener for sugars [ Jerry is a diabetic,and we got scolded big time by his oncologist for his high blood sugars. I swear they say take more insulin which makes his sugars drop to as low as 28 and than I have to feed him sugar water to keep him from slipping into a coma. I wish products like gycerna weren't so spendy or maybe I could make them myself

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  6. I've always wondered what exactly it was like! Thanks for the introduction.

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