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Candied Ube (or Purple Sweet Potato) with Latik

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Makes 6 to 8 servings 1x

Time about 3 hours

Units Scale

Ingredients

For the ube:

  • 3 pounds ube or purple sweet potato, peeled and cut into half-inch slices
  • 1 stick unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract

For the latik:

  • 1 19 ounce can unsweetened coconut cream (not coconut milk)

Instructions

  1. For the ube: Preheat oven to 350°F. Place sliced ube in a baking dish or cast-iron skillet that’s at least 2 inches deep. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Mix in the sugars and salt, then add in the heavy cream and stir until completely combined. Adjust heat if needed and simmer for about 6 minutes, until the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture has thickened slightly. Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in cinnamon and vanilla. Pour mixture over the sliced ube, toss to coat, then cover with foil. Bake for 1 hour, then check for tenderness — a knife should pierce a piece with no resistance. Remove the foil and bake another 20 minutes. Serve with latik.
  2. For the latik: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring coconut cream to a boil. Adjust heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping the sides and bottom, until it’s thickened. Once the cream is the texture of yogurt, continue to cook, stirring more frequently now, until oil starts to separate from the coconut solids and they begin to brown. When the solids are the color of peanut butter, remove from the heat. Strain the solids from the oil using a fine-mesh sieve. Discard the oil and let the latik cool. Store in an airtight container.

— Recipe by Holly Haines