Boniatillo

Ingredients

Sweet potato

• 1 kgboniato, white sweet potato
• water, to cover
• a pinch of salt

Syrup

• 400 gsugar
• 200 mlwater
• 2cinnamon sticks
• the peel of 1 lime, in one strip

To finish

• 4egg yolks
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoonvanilla extract
• 30 gbutter, optional

To serve

• ground cinnamon, for dusting
• small glasses or cups

Directions

1. Peel the boniato and cut it into even chunks. Put it in a pot and cover it with water. Add a good pinch of salt to the water. Bring it to the boil and then lower it. Simmer it for about twenty minutes. It should be completely soft throughout.
2. Drain it thoroughly in a colander. Let it steam dry for a few minutes. Wet purée gives a loose dessert. Mash the hot sweet potato thoroughly. Never use a food processor on it. Set the sieved purée aside for a moment. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan.
3. Add the cinnamon sticks and the lime peel. Take only the coloured zest without the pith. Stir over a low heat until the sugar dissolves. Then stop stirring the pan entirely. Bring it to a boil and let it cook. Take it to the thread stage, about 105C. A little lifted on a spoon should form a thread. Add the sweet potato purée to the hot syrup. Stir it in thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
4. Keep the heat low from this point. Cooking it down takes patience. Stir it continuously with a wooden spoon. Cook it for about fifteen minutes. It should pull away from the sides of the pan. Take the pan off the heat entirely. Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Add a ladleful of the hot purée to the yolks.
5. Whisk it in quickly to temper them. Adding cold yolks straight to hot purée scrambles them. Return the pan to a very low heat. Cook it for three or four minutes, stirring constantly. Do not let it boil after the yolks go in.
6. Squeeze in the juice of the whole lime. Stir in the vanilla and the butter. Taste it and adjust the lime to suit you. It should be sweet with a clear sharpness behind it.
7. Spoon it into small glasses or cups. Let them cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate them for at least three hours. Dust ground cinnamon over each glass. Serve each glass with a small spoon. Portions should be small, since it is very rich.

Technique

• Boniato is the pale-fleshed sweet potato of the Caribbean and is drier and less sweet than the orange varieties.
• The dessert belongs to a family of Iberian-influenced sweet purées thickened with egg yolks.

Substitutions

• Orange sweet potato can be used but gives a wetter, sweeter and differently coloured result.
• The egg yolks can be left out for a simpler and lighter version.

Variations

• Some households add a splash of dry sherry or rum.
• A version served warm rather than set is made in some families.
• Similar purées are made with squash and with plantain.

History

A colonial Cuban dessert made from boniato, the pale sweet potato that has fed the island since before contact.

Frequently asked questions

What is Boniatillo?

Boniatillo is a dessert from Cuba: sweet potato purée cooked with sugar syrup, lime and cinnamon. A colonial Cuban dessert made from boniato, the pale sweet potato that has fed the island since before contact.

How long does Boniatillo take to make?

Boniatillo takes 20 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 8. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Boniatillo?

Yes, within limits. Orange sweet potato can be used but gives a wetter, sweeter and differently coloured result. The egg yolks can be left out for a simpler and lighter version.

What is the most important thing to get right in Boniatillo?

Drain it thoroughly in a colander. Let it steam dry for a few minutes. Wet purée gives a loose dessert. Mash the hot sweet potato thoroughly. Never use a food processor on it. Set the sieved purée aside for a moment. Put the sugar and water in a heavy pan.