How to Make Yam Delight

You don't have to wait for a holiday to enjoy yams.

Many people think of yams only as a winter holiday tradition. Others consider baked yams to be a delivery system for melted marshmallow topping. Don't let limited views of yams stand in your way. Yam delight combines yams or sweet potatoes with apples, pears, persimmons and raisins or dates for a taste explosion.

Things You'll Need

• 8 to 10 yams or sweet potatoes
• 3 to 5 apples
• 3 to 5 pears
• 2 to 4 ripe fuyu persimmons (or 1 ripe Hachiya persimmon)
• 1/4 cup raisins, chopped dates or other dried fruit
• Cinnamon (1 tsp. to 1 tbsp.)
• Ground ginger, nutmeg and/or clove (to taste)
• 1 to 2 tbsp. fruit juice (non-citrus)
• 1 tbsp. honey (optional)

Instructions

1. Cut the fruit into small pieces that will cook easily. Removing the skin is optional.

2. Add the fruit juice and start cooking the fruit at a low heat. A slow cooker would be ideal, although an iron kettle over a low flame works too.

3. Peel the yams, cut into 2- or 3-inch lengths, and arrange in a deep baking dish with just a few tablespoons of water to keep them from sticking.

4. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 60 minutes at 350 degrees F. Test the yams with a fork. If it doesn't sink in easily, cook them few more minutes.

5. Mix the baked yams and cooked fruit in a large iron pot or slow cooker.

6. Stir with a big spoon. If the mixture is too chunky, give it a few plunges with a potato masher.

7. Add the dried fruit and spices as you stir. Stir them in well. The dried fruit might burn if it settles to the bottom.

8. Continue cooking at a low heat for one to eight hours. Stir occasionally.

Tips & Warnings

• This recipe yields a banquet-sized quantity of yam delight. It also refrigerates well. Serve hot, warm or cold for any meal, as an entree or dessert.

• Peeling the fruit will give your Yam Delight a creamier texture. Leaving the fruit skins will provide bits of color and a little crunch.

• If you include a ripe Hachiya persimmon, the fruit juice may not be necessary.

• Go easy on the ground ginger, nutmeg and/or clove. It doesn't take much.

• Honey should be added only if the mixture still seems dry after cooking for a while or the mix of yam and fruit flavors doesn't seem sweet enough. Yam delight is a vegan dish until you add the honey.

• While this flexible recipe can accommodate ingredients like sweet summer melon or sweet winter squash, avoid acidic or astringent flavors. This includes citrus, pineapple or unripe Hachiya persimmon. Blander flavors, such as less-than-sweet squash, parsnip or jicama, may dilute the delightfulness.