(c) Robin Grose
Robin: Inspired by the multitude of sweet gelatin dishes I came across in Mexico, I came up with this easy-to-make and somewhat sophisticated-looking dessert that might remind you a little of a crustless sweet potato pie. The gelatin is creamy and mousse-like in texture, but firm enough to hold its shape when cut into slices. It also has the advantage of being a no-bake dessert that is easy to prepare a day or two ahead of time, helping to ease the fall and winter holiday traffic jam of demand for oven space and time.
Make this gelatin in a tall, round jello mold if you want a large-ish dessert with kind of a layer cake feel, in individual dessert molds if you want it extra fancy, or just in a 13 x 9 baking dish (cut into squares and dished out with a spatula for serving) if you don’t want to go to the trouble of unmolding it at all. Any way you slice it, this somewhat unusual creamy sweet potato jello includes additional comforting autumn flavors: cinnamon and pecans.
(c) Robin Grose
Try my other gelatin recipes:
Another no-bake dessert option: Creamy No-bake Lime Refrigerator Cake
More for autumn: My Mom’s Pear Cake
Sweet Potato and Cinnamon Gelatin
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ pounds (about 1 kilo) sweet potatoes
- 3 tablespoons powdered unflavored gelatin
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 can (14 ounces / 396 grams) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 ½ cups cool water
- 3.5 ounces (about 100 grams) pecan halves
Instructions
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Cook the sweet potatoes until they are soft, using whatever method you prefer (boil, steam, or bake/roast). Let them cool enough to be comfortably handled, then peel them and cut them into large chunks.
Pour the cool water into a glass bowl or large glass measuring cup. Sprinkle the unflavored gelatin powder over the surface of the water. Let it sit for about five minutes so that the gelatin can start to hydrate. Once it does, microwave on high for about 15 seconds. Take the bowl out of the microwave, stir with a rubber scraper, then nuke it once again for 15 more seconds. Repeat once or twice again, until the mixture is warm and totally transparent, with no globs of half-dissolved gelatin visible. (If you do not have a microwave oven, this step can be done over a double boiler. Stir slowly but constantly until the gelatin powder has completely dissolved.)
Place the chunks of cooked sweet potato, the cinnamon, the sweetened condensed milk, and the water with gelatin into a blender. Process until you achieve a smooth puree.
Pour the mixture into one or more gelatin molds. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight, until well gelled.
Unmold your gelatin and decorate with the pecan halves.
Cut into wedges and serve as-is or with a dollop of whipped cream. Store leftovers tightly covered in the fridge; this will keep well for several days.
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