Sweet Potato Cheesecake

 
 
 
 

This big ole sweet potato kept following me around the kitchen. I would move it and there it would be-just staring back at me.

So, I decided to cook it. Not to be mean-but I didn't know what else to do. There it was. . . all steamy in the bowl
And then it occurred to me that I would honor the sweet potato by incorporating it into a tasty dessert.

I poked my head around a little in the refrigerator and there sat a big container of ricotta and homemade peach syrup. Things were looking up.

I continued opening cabinets to see what was on hand-rather than sending my runner out to the grocery store. I found a container of blanched almonds and pretzel rods. Interesting. . .

I got me a big bowl, my whisk and starting creating. Every once in a while you just get lucky. And if ever there was a time to get lucky this was it. In the South, we like our sweet potatoes!

What I ended up with was a perfectly dense ricotta "cheesecake" with a hidden layer of blanched almonds just below the surface. I made a crunchy pretzel and almond meal crust and a topping of mixed sugars, almond meal and little left over pretzel meal.

What made the cheesecake stand-out was a tablespoon of cane syrup and one of peach syrup. The crust and the crunchy topping were a great surprise and added the perfect saltiness to the sweet potato. I used nutmeg and cinnamon in moderation and gained a lot of flavor from dried egg whites with vanilla.