Skip to main content

Nana's Yams & Apples


Nana's enamel casserole dish
Nana’s Yams & Apples
*******
Nana brings this to dinner every Thanksgiving.  She’s 92 years old (2000). She always uses bright orange sweet potatoes, not yams, but I can't bring myself to change the name. I make it every Thanksgiving when we’re living away from home (and Nana) for the holidays. Sometimes I bake it the day before and reheat it the next day for Thanksgiving so that the flavors have had a chance to meld. 

It helps to buy yams that are all similar in size and width. I look for yams that are shaped like a cylinder (about 2-½  inches in diameter, rather than the ones in the shape of a huge football. 

 [Update 2010: sweet Nana passed away when she was nearly ninety-nine. Guess which enamel casserole dish we use for yams and apples every year. Nana's.]

6 medium, narrow Garnet sweet potatoes, (about 3 lb total)
6 apples, peeled and sliced (half crisp & half baking apples)
1 C sugar
3 TBL cornstarch
2 tsp salt
2 C hot water
½ C butter (1 cube)
Juice of half lemon (2 TBL)
½ C marshmallows (optional)

  1. Fill a large pot halfway with water, cover and bring to the boil.  Add whole, unpeeled sweet potatoes to water, making sure they are covered by boiling water.  Bring back to the boil.  Boil for 35-40 minutes until very tender—insert point of a sharp knife to check for doneness.  Knife should not meet any resistance. 
  2. Drain and peel when cool enough to handle. (You can cook them up to half a day before making the sauce; just wait to peel them until you assemble the casserole).
  3. In medium saucepan add sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Stir to mix.  Add hot water and lemon juice.  Put saucepan over medium high heat.  Stirring constantly, bring to the boil.  Lower heat and stir for 1 more minute.  Turn off heat.  Add butter and stir until melted.  Remove from heat.
  4. Alternate layers of yams and apples in casserole dish. Pour sauce carefully over entire top, making sure the sauce covers every apple and yam slice on top. Do not overfill with sauce.
  5. Put a baking sheet in the oven on the lowest rack to catch any drips, just in case.
  6. Bake at 350ºF for 30 minutes on middle rack of oven.  Can top with marshmallows during last 5 minutes of baking.
  7. Let rest for 20 minutes before serving. We like it baked the day before Thanksgiving, cooled, refrigerated, then reheated just before Thanksgiving dinner.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Easter Babies (Croatian Easter Bread Dolls)

  Easter Babies                                                     ******* Makes 12 Easter Babies These Easter Babies (Croatian Easter bread dolls a.k.a.   primorski uskrsne bebe )  are a new tradition in our family. The egg dying, dough mixing and braiding is so fun for children and grownups—it’s contagious. Traditionally, they are made with red-dyed eggs, but we use the colors we already have dyed. They make sweet gifts and they also look charming laying next to each Easter dinner plate.  This lady  uses naturally dyed eggs for her Easter babies. If you're already making  challa bread , use extra challa dough for these babies (simply make enough dough for 2 loaves, only bake one challa, and use the remaining dough for the Easter Babies).
10 comments
Read more

Sprouts Foo Young

Sprouts Foo Young ******* For each pancake:   2 eggs Grapeseed oil or ghee 1 C sprouts (alfalfa, sunflower, mung bean) 1 small clove garlic, minced ¼ C chopped green onion tops 1 tsp freshly grated ginger (or pinch of ground ginger) ½ to 1 tsp Braggs amino sauce (like soy sauce) Optional:  add shrimp or fresh crab meat to step #1 Add a bit of oil in a small skillet.  Over medium heat sautee garlic, ginger and green onion tops.  Do not brown the garlic—that will make it bitter. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk eggs until light and fluffy.  Whisk in Braggs. When garlic is fragrant, add a bit more oil, then add sprouts, give them a stir or two (to mix with garlic, etc.), and pour egg over all.  Cook like an omelette, or flip like a pancake to brown on both sides.  
Post a Comment
Read more

Challa Bread

Challa Bread *******  Makes 2 loaves My neighbor, Bonnie, grew up with a Jewish friend and learned to love their family traditions, songs and the Hebrew language. Every Sunday she taught our Mormon young women a lot about the Hebrew alphabet and about many Jewish traditions (I was a teacher in Young Women so I got to hear her lessons). Even though she didn't talk about food, her lessons gave me the nudge to learn how to make something I'd always wanted to try . . . challa bread.  Check out h ow to braid a six-strand challa .
1 comment
Read more