Sweet Potato Creme Brulé
creme brulé + sweet potato = a creme brulé that tastes like sweet potato pie
imagine creme brulé and sweet potato pie married together for a match made in heaven. the mouth feel is so smooth from the sweet potato custard but then crunchy from the caramelized sugar on top.
taking a perfect bite with the right amount of custard and streusel makes you wanna lick the ramekin clean when no one is watching - no judgement here. click the link below to check out the video.
What is agar agar ?
Agar is a jelly-like substance derived from red algae. It is used to gel, thicken, and stabilize cosmetic formulations.
Being insoluble in cold water, Agar is able to absorb as much as twenty times its weight and dissolves readily in boiling water.
Sweet Potato Creme Brule
yields 4 servings that are 1/2 a cup of custard / prep time is about 30 min and cooling time is about 4 hours
Ingredients - Sweet Potato Puree
150 g - boiled sweet potato
1 tbsp - brown sugar
1/4 tsp - cinnamon
1 tbsp - vegan butter
Ingredients - Creme Brule
1 cup - full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup - oat milk
1 tbsp - cornstarch ( mixed with the oat milk into a slurry )
1 tbsp - sugar
1 tsp - vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp - agar agar powder
Ingredients - Streusel
1 cup - all purpose flour
3/4 cup - brown sugar
1/4 tsp - salt
3 tbsp - cold vegan butter ( cut in cubes )
1/4 cup - chilled browned butter
1/2 cup - oats
1 tsp - cinnamon
1/4 tsp - ginger powder
Tools you will need:
Sauce pan or sauté pan
Measuring glass
Rubber spatula
(4) 3” Ramekins
Fork or whisk
Sheet tray
Parchment paper
Large bowl
Food grade butane torch
Instructions
Step 1 - Gather all ingredients & boil the sweet potato
There is nothing worse than going to make something and realizing you don’t have the stuff ! First things first, get a pot of boiling water going on the stove and peel your sweet potato and cut it into a large dice. Once the water is boiling, drop in the potato and boil till cooked through and is soft and tender then strain really well.
Bring the sweet potato back to the pot and mash it with vegan butter, cinnamon and brown sugar. I like to use a whisk to whip it really smooth and then once that is done. Place the whipped potato in a small bowl and just set it to the side.
Step 2 - Make the creme brulé custard
In a sauce pan, add a little dab of vegan butter and then add in the whipped sweet potato. With a whisk, stir in the canned coconut milk, sugar, oat milk cornstarch slurry, and the vanilla extract. Once all of this has been mixed in well and the sweet potato has been combined smoothly, whisk in the agar powder and bring the heat down to low and whisk gently as everything thickens for about 5 minutes. After about 5 minutes, the agar should kick in and you should be able to see the custard thickening. Take the pan off the heat and pour into a measuring pitcher. This makes it easier to pour evenly into each of the ramekins. Gather the ramekins and pour an even amount into each one and then place in the fridge for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Step 3 - Make the streusel
In a small sauce pan on low heat, meltdown 1/4 cup vegan butter and allow to brown. Once the butter has browned and become brown butter, pour into a ramekin and place in the fridge to cool. In a large bowl add in the flour, sugar, salt, oats, ginger powder and cinnamon. Give this a little stir and then with your hands, squish and scrunch in the cold butter cubes along with the chilled browned butter. Do this until little pebbles are made but not for too long otherwise the butter will start to get too melty with the warmth of your hands. Once the streusel has come together, pop it back in the fridge to chill and then line a baking tray with parchment paper and bake for about 15 - 20 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until golden. Once done, allow to cool down. Keep left over streusel in an air tight, food safe container at room temp.
Step 4 - Brule !
For each ramekin, sprinkle over a generous amount of sugar to completely cover the top. With the torch Brulé the tops, be careful to not get too close as you may burn the sugar so just go low n slow until the top has completely caramelized and hardened.
Step 5 - Serve
On top of each little creme Brulé pot, spoon over some of the streusel in a crescent moon shape to give the dessert a sweet potato pie essence and enjoy right away !
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3