This past Saturday I was asked to do a cooking demonstration at the Kino'ole Farmer's Market. I decided to use the beautiful local purple sweet potatoes. One of the vendors at the market, Cyrus Wagatsuma, grows 4 different varieties of sweet potatoes and he offered me as much of the sweet potatoes as I needed.
In the Hawaiian language the word ali'i means royal or high born. To me the Okinawan aka Hawaiian purple sweet potatoes are definitely royal!
Having lived in several southern states in the mainland, I was quite familiar with the 'sweet potato souffles' made from yams. The sweet potato souffle usually shows up on southern tables as part of the Christmas menu with marshmallows on top.
This is a slightly different variation on my local version of the Southern Sweet Potato Souffle as it appears on page 29 of my cookbook Tropical Taste.
4 cups cooked and mashed purple sweet potatoes
2 large eggs
1 cup liliko'i syrup (*)
1/2 cup firmy packed brown sugar (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 13.5 ounce can coconut milk
3 Tablespoons melted butter
I find it easier to peel the sweet potatoes after boiling whole. Chop and mash either with a potato masher or hand mixer.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Liliko'i (Passion Fruit) Syrup:
Boil equal portions of liliko'i juice and refined sugar until it reaches the consistency of thick syrup. Don't overcook or it will caramelize. You want something like molasses.
In a small saucepan, bring the coconut milk, butter and salt to simmer and add it to the mashed sweet potatoes. Add the passion fruit syrup, the brown sugar, if using, and the eggs, mixing and incorporating with the mashed sweet potatoes, milk and butter.
Pour or spoon the mixture into a 12 x 8 x 1 -1/2 baking dish and sprinkle with the following topping.
Topping:
3 Tablespoons melted butter
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped and roasted unsalted macadamia nuts
1 cup flaked coconut
Sprinkle on top of dish and bake at 350 F for about 45 minutes to an hour. Serve hot.
