“A Passion for Cooking“ features the recipes from over a hundred different chefs who have cooked at Kitchen Conservatory. One of our favorite recipes from that cookbook – which several staff members make every Thanksgiving — is a pudding from chef Jim Voss of Duff’s (who also chefed for The Grateful Dead). Don’t miss his cooking class on January 13 when he is sharing his famous gumbo recipe.

Sweet Potato-Cornbread Pudding

• 4 cups peeled and diced sweet potatoes
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 4 cups day-old cornbread
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• fresh cracked black pepper to taste

Place the sweet potatoes in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until soft; drain. Whisk together the eggs, cream, and syrup. Crumble the cornbread into a bowl and pour the cream mixture over the cornbread. Let soak for 15 minutes, then mix in the sweet potatoes.

In a large skillet, heat the butter and add the onion, celery, pecans, garlic, thyme, sage, and rosemary. Cook until the onions are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add the parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix into the sweet potatoes and spread in a casserole dish. Cover with foil and at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes.

Need a cornbread recipe? Here is the one I use for my cornbread stuffing:

Cornbread

1 cup flour

1 cup cornmeal

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs

4 tablespoons butter, melted

 

Mix together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Stir in the buttermilk, eggs, and butter. Pour into a buttered baking dish and bake at 425 degrees until a skewer comes out clean, about 20 minutes.