Thanksgiving

With Bayou Bakery being “this close” to opening, I thought it would be great if we could share one of Chef David Guas’ fabulous Thanksgiving desserts from his James Beard nominated cookbook DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style. We’ll make sure to let you know when they’re open for business because  you will definitely want to head over to Bayou Bakery to pick up some sweet treats for your Thanksgiving Holiday.

“Whenever I was at my Uncle Alfred’s farm in Independence, Louisiana, my cousins and I would dig up sweet potatoes and pick green beans in his garden.  We’d wrap the sweet potatoes in aluminum foil jackets, and then roast them campfire-style over an open-pit fire.  Sliced open and smothered with butter and brown sugar, extra-sweetened sweet potatoes remain one of my favorite foods today.  This tart tatin is an elegant but easy way to relive my love of sticky-sweet sweet potatoes in a more adult package. It’s so easy to make but is so strikingly gorgeous that it’s my go-to dessert for Thanksgiving.” – Chef David Guas, Owner and Chef of Bayou Bakery.

Sweet Potato Tart Tatin

1 sheet all-butter store-bought puff pastry, thawed

3⁄4 cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon for pastry

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1⁄8 teaspoon salt

11⁄2 pounds sweet potatoes (try to buy potatoes of relatively even width and few bulges), peeled, ends removed, and sliced into 1/8 -inch-thick rounds

1 large egg

1 tablespoon milk
Ice cream for serving
(optional)

Heat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the puff pastry sheet on your work surface and cut out a 10-inch circle. Set the circle onto the prepared baking sheet. Prick the pastry all over with a fork and refrigerate.

Place 3/4 cup of sugar in a small saucepan and cover with 1/4 cup of water. Gently stir with a spoon to make sure all of the sugar is wet (it should have the consistency of wet sand), place a cover on slightly askew, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Keep the mixture covered until the syrup is clear and producing syrupy-looking medium-size bubbles, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to cook until the sugar is a light butterscotch color and its temperature reaches 320°F. Turn off the heat (the sugar will continue to cook in the pan even though the heat is off). Once the temperature reaches 350°F (this will take only a few minutes), whisk in the butter, 1/2 tablespoon (1 piece) at a time, waiting until each addition is completely incorporated before adding the next. Stir in the vanilla and the salt, and pour the caramel into a 10-inch cast iron skillet.

Cover the caramel with the sliced potatoes, starting in the center and overlapping in a spiraling outward circle as you go. Top with the puff pastry circle. Beat the egg and the milk together and brush over the pastry, and then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar. Bake until the edges are deep amber and the pastry is puffed and golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a large plate (make sure the diameter of the plate is larger than 10 inches!). Slice into wedges and serve with or without ice cream.

Serves 6

TIP – To make life easier, I use store-bought puff pastry. Try to source an all-butter kind, like Dufour®, which gives the tart a rich flavor and tender texture.

If you liked this recipe and are looking for new ideas to spice up your holiday baking activities make sure to check out the David’s cookbook, DamGoodSweet: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, New Orleans Style which will be on sale at Bayou Bakery.

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