Difference between a sweet potato and yam?
Tis the season of the yams! We know our holiday table wouldn’t be complete without a bubbling hot rich sweet potato casserole. Or is it a yam casserole and what's the difference? Well, a true yam actually is a tuber grown in the tropics, and a true sweet potato is an enlarged root of the sweet potato plant that is starchy when harvested but becomes sweeter after storage. In the 1930's, as Louisiana sweet potatoes were shipped to the eastern states, the consumer recognized that Louisiana sweet potatoes were moist, sweet and soft when baked. Thus, "Louisiana Yams" (yam comes from African word “nyami” means “to eat”) became the trademark of the Louisiana sweet potato distinguishing them as the sweetest and most moist variety.
Sweet potatoes can be a versatile ingredient. What is your favorite creative sweet potato recipe using yams? Besides the sweet potato casserole. I think I will post my Sweet Potato Praline Coffee Cake....my absolute favorite!
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6 Comments:
I want to share my favorite recipe and my additction from my Freezer Friendly cookbook-with freezer instructions. Easy with a baking mix, and the tart cranberries perfectly balance the sweet potato dough and praline topping....the absolute best. Freeze for that Christmas morning--I am.
Sweet Potato Praline Coffee Cake
Hot out of the oven, this scrumptious melt-in-your mouth cake is hard to beat. Best of all, this personal favorite, tastes equally as good after being frozen.
Makes 12 servings
4 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, divided
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 1/2 cups biscuit baking mix
1 (15-ounce) can sweet potatoes (yams), drained and mashed or 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a 9 x 9 x 2-square non-stick baking pan, melt butter in oven. Stir in 2/3 cup brown sugar and corn syrup and spread mixture evenly in pan. Sprinkle with pecans.
3. In large mixing bowl, beat together biscuit baking mix, sweet potatoes, and milk until dough forms a ball. Turn dough onto a surface dusted with baking mix, knead several times and roll or pat into 12-inch rectangle.
4. Sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons brown sugar and cranberries. Roll up dough jellyroll style from longer side. Cut crosswise into one-inch pieces and arrange sitting on top of the pecan mixture in pan. The dough will spread when baking.
5. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately turn upside down onto serving plate.
To Prepare and Eat Now: Eat when ready.
To Freeze: Cool to room temperature, wrap, label, and freeze.
To Prepare After Freezing: Thaw to room temperature and serve. The coffee cake may be reheated in oven at 350°F or in microwave.
Nutritional information per serving, Calories 276, Protein (g) 2, Carbohydrate (g) 43, Fat (g) 11, Calories from Fat (%) 36, Saturated Fat (g) 4, Dietary Fiber (g) 1, Cholesterol (mg) 10, Sodium (mg) 360, Diabetic Exchanges: 3 starch, 2 fat
hollyclegg at 10:18AM on 12/06/08
NO NO NO NO NO..... that's all wrong......GOOD!, but ultimately wrong.... here is what you do....you take 1 inch cubes of sweet potato, turnips and carrot drizzle over enough olive oil to coat plust salt & pepper a pinch or two of thyme and mix well. Put them into a casserole dish in the oven at 400 for 35-45 minutes until the edges are browned and the pieces give to a fork...
Aren't you glad I made it all better... Excuse me while I put my aluminum foil helmet back on.
Pavlov at 10:52AM on 12/06/08
Chipolti sweet potatoe mash...usually twice baked good and spicey
Markbb at 11:35AM on 12/06/08
It doesn't sound bad, but I don't know if I want to bother converting "biscuit baking mix" into its component ingredients.
dbcurrie at 4:27PM on 12/06/08
I also am of the type to prefer savory sweet potatoes. Lately I've been doing stuff with butter, sesame oil and miso and sweet potatoes. MMMMMM.
cmtigger at 2:33PM on 12/07/08
@hollyclegg ~ that sounds like sweet potato sticky buns to me. I actually believe I have all the ingredients except corn syrup and I can sub for that. Woo Hoo! Thanks!!!
PerkyMac at 2:42PM on 12/07/08