Maple Yams With Apples & Cranberries

photo by strphanie



- Ready In:
- 1hr 35mins
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Serves:
-
10
ingredients
- 4 lbs jewel yams, baked (or sweet potatoes)
- 2 apples (preferably Granny Smith)
- 1⁄8 cup lemon juice
- 1⁄4 cup butter
- 1⁄4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1⁄4 cup sucanat (can also use turbinado, rapadura, or brown sugar)
- 3⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄3 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1⁄8 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped (optional)
- 1⁄2 cup unsweetened orange juice
- 2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
directions
- Scrub yams thoroughly, place on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F until cooked but still somewhat firm, about 30-40 minutes.
- Set yams aside to cool.
- Slice apples thinly. Leave the skin on, for its color, its wonderful nutritional value, and so the apples keep their shape. I used Granny Smiths because they have a nice tartness and don't fall apart in baking, but Golden Delicious or similar would also be good.
- Toss apples with lemon juice and set aside.
- Combine all remaining ingredients EXCEPT for cranberries in small saucepan, and cook until sugar is dissolved, creating a thin sauce.
- Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Slice sweet potatoes into thick slices, or cut into chunks as desired, leaving the skins on. (Remember--fiber is good!).
- Assemble casserole in a greased 9x13x2-inch baking dish (stoneware or glass), layering the yams, then apples, then the cranberries. There should be enough for two layers of each.
- Pour sauce over the top of the casserole.
- Bake uncovered casserole for 30-45 minutes, basting intermittently with its own juices (or with extra fruit juice for a more moist casserole--I used some apple cider I had on hand) until apples are tender and dish is hot.
- Let sit for 10 minutes before serving, if possible, so the juices can thicken up a bit.
- Variation: Drizzle lightly before serving with some warm maple syrup and/or flax oil.
- Alternatively: if you're preparing it ahead of time, cover dish with foil and refrigerate overnight, and bake as usual the next day.
- Note on the "maple syrup": you must use natural maple syrup, not pancake syrup! I used Grade B--it has a higher nutrient content and a richer flavor. If you don't have maple syrup on hand, just use honey instead. The taste won't be as rich, but it will still be yummy.
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Reviews
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This has become a tradition at Thankgiving now for the past 3 years. My family loves this recipe (even the kids)! I peel the yams, only because they look better that way. I haven't tried it with the crystallized ginger, but maybe this year! The colors of the yams, cranberries, and apples are really pretty on the plate. I highly recommend this recipe!
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I made this for Thanksgiving this year and since I am the only one in my family who will eat yams I didn't get any feedback on it from others (wimps!!). This is a good, different way to make yams. I have to say that the cranberries were TART! The only changes I made were to peel the yams and I used honey instead of sugar as I am allergic to cane sugar. This was even better the next day after the flavors had blended overnight.
Tweaks
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I made this for Thanksgiving this year and since I am the only one in my family who will eat yams I didn't get any feedback on it from others (wimps!!). This is a good, different way to make yams. I have to say that the cranberries were TART! The only changes I made were to peel the yams and I used honey instead of sugar as I am allergic to cane sugar. This was even better the next day after the flavors had blended overnight.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>I am a grad of the University of Oklahoma but transplanted myself to Los Angeles in the fall of 2009. I'm also a photographer and studio manager--my partner Christina and I own a studio specializing in modern portraiture of people and animals. In my free time, I like to play with our four cats, take photographs, listen to music, tweak recipes (especially to make delicious but healthy foods), write poetry, and read. <br /> <br />My current cookbook crush is Molly Katzen's Sunlight Cafe. <br /> <br />My pet peeves are overly sugary foods--I never use artificial sweeteners, but I will try to replace them with better natural alternatives and/or cut the amount in a recipe--and hydrogenated oils. They are the fastest route to early death! I also try and stay away from white flour and other refined junk whenever possible. Fiber is my friend. ;)</p>