Candied yam sweetened with orange juice and maple syrup

I try to make everything a little healthier; Candied yams are no exception. Most candied yam recipes call for butter and brown sugar or dark corn syrup. I keep the butter, but swap the less healthy sweeteners for a combination of orange juice and maple syrup. I soak the mixture with real vanilla beans to add flavor complexity. I top everything with natural vanilla marshmallows from a local bakery. The result is something decadent, something healthy, and completely delicious. I like to bake candied yams in my toaster oven while my entrée is in my full-size oven. This way everything is hot and ready at the same time.

Ingredients

4 large jewel or garnet yams (any yam will do, but these have the most beautiful colors)

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (Valencia oranges work well in this recipe)

1/2 cup grade B maple syrup (grade B maple syrup costs less and tastes better than grade A)

1 stick (4 ounces) butter

1 vanilla bean

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground mace (you can substitute ground nutmeg if you can’t find the mace, but lower to 1/8 teaspoon)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

12 ounces natural vanilla marshmallows

Addresses

Heat your toaster oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel the yams. Cut the yams into 1/2-inch cubes and place in a shallow baking dish. Combine the butter, orange juice, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, mace, and sea salt in a saucepan. Carefully divide the vanilla bean lengthwise and use the back end of the knife blade to scoop out the seeds. Put the pod and seeds in the saucepan. Simmer for 30 minutes, try to avoid simmering or boiling during this time. Remove the vanilla bean and pour the sauce over the diced sweet potatoes. Stir gently to coat all the cubes. Bake until yams are completely soft; this should take about 45 minutes. Remove from toaster oven and evenly distribute vanilla marshmallows on top. Return the yams to the toaster oven and raise the temperature to 475 degrees F. Bake until the marshmallows are lightly browned; this should take about 8 minutes. This is one area where a toaster oven comes in handy. The proximity of the heating elements leads to rapid and uniform browning.

You may have trouble locating natural marshmallows, and the store-bought ingredients are far from natural. Here’s my suggestion: go to a local bakery and ask if they’d be willing to make them for you. Chances are, someone at the bakery also took some candy-making and baking classes while in culinary school. Most locally owned small businesses are more than willing to offer their clients what they are looking for. My bakery around the corner makes mine as long as I give them 48 hours notice.

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