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Boniatillo
Boniatillo: Cuban sweet-potato pudding with lime and cinnamon
Boniatillo comes from the sweet tooth of old Havana, where white-fleshed boniato is boiled, puréed and cooked in a cinnamon and lime-peel syrup until it turns into a thick, glossy pudding. It is served at room temperature in small bowls, often dusted with cinnamon, at birthdays or simply after Sunday lunch. The mistake to avoid is using orange sweet potato alone, which makes it wet and very sweet; Cuban boniato or a white sweet potato gives the right dry, chestnutty texture. Chef's tip: beat in the egg yolks off the heat with a little of the hot purée first, so they thicken the pudding without scrambling.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lb white sweet potato (boniato)peeled, cut into chunks
- 7 oz sugar
- ¾ cup water
- 2 strips lime peelpared with a peeler
- 1 pinch salt
- ⅔ oz butter
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp ground cinnamonto dust
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Boil 1 ½ lb white sweet potato (boniato) in plenty of water for 15–20 minutes, until very tender. Drain well and mash until completely smooth.
20 minStep 2: In a wide pan, simmer 7 oz sugar, ¾ cup water, 1 cinnamon stick and 2 strips lime peel for 8 minutes, until slightly syrupy. Remove the cinnamon and peel.
8 minStep 3: Add the mashed boniato and 1 pinch salt to the syrup and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for 12–15 minutes, until thick enough that the spoon leaves a trail across the pan base.
15 minStep 4: Off the heat, beat 2 egg yolks with 2 spoonfuls of the hot purée, then stir them back in with ⅔ oz butter and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Return to a low heat for 2 minutes, stirring, to cook the yolks.
2 minStep 5: Spoon into small bowls, cool to room temperature and dust with ½ tsp ground cinnamon. Keeps 3 days in the fridge; bring back to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 66 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does boniatillo take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of white sweet potato (boniato)?
- Sweet potato, same weight (sweeter, cooks a little faster).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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