“I just want to put respect on the name of pudding again.”
She weaves personal history with Southern history, Appalachian history, and Black history.
And as for the recipes, “Drunken Sweet Potato Pudding” had me hooked instantly.
Credit:Photo: Johnny Autry; Food Styling: Micah Morton
This drunken sweet potato pudding is far from cafeteria food.
Shanti infuses fresh, roasted sweet potato, vanilla, andyesbourbon for her own spin on it.
Growing up, Shanti’s mom would serve pudding after dinnerwarm or cold.
Credit:Photo: Johnny Autry; Food Styling: Micah Morton
This recipe is similar, calling for a whole roasted sweet potato to capture those caramelized, candy-like flavors.
Then, the pudding would be served warm and sweet, without any time wasted for chilling.
But serving pudding warm serves another purpose, according to Shanti.
“When things are served warm, the flavors are more pronounced,” she says.
“[With] cold puddings, the flavors are a little more muted.”
This also makes it an extremely versatile recipe for holiday cooking.
“It’s a perfect fall dessert.
Perfect for Thanksgiving,” says Shanti.
“I just want to put respect on the name of pudding again.”
I think it’s safe to say she has.
As for the rest of the cookbook, I recommend poring through the pages.
“People talk about Southern cuisine, and I want to know: What part of the South?
Even the flora and fauna [differs].
I want people to understand how unique and intricate the foodways of the South is,” Shanti said.
“All of those regions define me and my culinary identity.”
“[With]Our South,it was important that I identified ownership.
Drunken Sweet Potato Pudding
Remember pudding?
Let this recipe serve to remind you that pudding is indeed delicious, especially when its homemade.
All this dish needs for its performance is a straightforward whipped creamits that simple, and its that good.
A little shot of bourbon lends notes of caramel nuttiness.
Line a quarter baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using a fork, prick the sweet potato three or four times all over.
Place on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until fork-tender.
Let cool, then run through a food mill to make a smooth puree.
In a medium Dutch oven, stir together the brown sugar and salt.
Slowly and carefully whisk in the cream, milk, and granulated sugar.
Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the mixture liquefies again, 1 to 2 minutes more.
Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
In a heatproof medium bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolks, and cornstarch.
Cook, whisking continuously, until the pudding thickens and begins a slow simmer, 1 to 2 minutes.
Serve the pudding topped with a dollop of the whipped cream.
Excerpted fromOur Southby Ashleigh Shanti (Union Square & Co.).
