Brûléed Sweet Potatoes And Ice Cream Are A Match Made In Heaven

Even without swirling cinnamon and brown sugar into mashed sweet potatoes or dotting a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, these bright orange tubers live up to their name. Their sweetness extends to desserts, like sweet potato pie or sweet potato brownies, but all you need is a sprinkling of sugar and a scoop of ice cream for a show-stopping treat. Brûléed sweet potatoes provide that elegant burnt sugar topping that'll shatter into a melt-in-your-mouth, warm, custardy pulp. A scoop of ice cream is the perfect accompaniment to complement the earthy sweetness and custard-like textures of sweet potatoes with a refreshingly cold and decadently creamy contrast. Plus, you can get creative with ice cream flavors and additional toppings.

Vanilla ice cream is a classic choice, with a rich and fragrant taste that pairs with everything. You can elaborate a sweet potato and vanilla pairing with cinnamon and brown sugar candied pecans or a drizzle of salted caramel sauce. You could also sprinkle crushed Cinnamon Toast Crunch, marzipan, or sesame candies over vanilla ice cream and sweet potatoes.

Try a multi-ingredient ice cream flavor to sneak in garnishes with no effort. For example, butter pecan and maple walnut will give you creaminess, fragrance, and a nutty crunch. If you want a double dose of sweet potato flavor, ube ice cream is a popular new product you can find in specialty stores. For a nut-free yet still nutty option, pair brûléed sweet potato with coconut ice cream and shredded coconut.

Despite the fancy connotation you might derive from brûléed desserts like creme brûlée, a brûléed sweet potato is easy to make and only requires basic ingredients: sweet potatoes and white sugar. Of course, there are various types of sweet potatoes to choose from, but Japanese sweet potatoes have the ideal sweetness for a dessert. We also use them for another, more elaborate creme brûlée sweet potato hack.

brûléed sweet potatoes start by roasting a whole sweet potato until soft and tender, cooling it, and cutting it in half. You'll brûlée its exposed flesh after coating it in a hefty layer of granulated sugar. You can use the traditional blow-torch method as there are plenty of cheap blow torches available for purchase. That said, fancy equipment isn't required for a brûlée.

The simplest way to brûlée your sugar coated sweet potato halves is by placing them under a broiler. Since you're already baking sweet potatoes in the oven, all you'd need to do is change the oven setting from bake to broil. By the time the oven preheats, the sweet potato will be cooled and prepped with sugar. Broiling the sugar will take no time and a lot of attention, so keep your oven light on and be ready to rotate the baking sheet for an even brûlée.