This special sweet potato pudding recipe is from Leneice North Talmadge´s The Sweet Potato Cookbook. I like to top this with toasted walnuts to add another layer of goodness. Sometimes a recipe just lends itself to creating tradition. This wonderful Christmas Pudding is one of them. It's something nice to serve on New Year's Day.

Christmas Pudding

INGREDIENTS

2 cups grated raw sweet potato
1/2 cup margarine, melted
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, separate and beat separately. Wash egg beater and bowl thoroughly before beating egg whites
2 cups milk
1 cup water
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon or to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or to taste
1/2 cup citron*
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup currants
All-purpose flour
Hard Sauce (see recipe below*)
(optional) 1 cup of toasted walnut halves for topping (see note below**)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a food processor grate the Sweet Potato.

3. In a large bowl cream the margarine and sugar together.

4. Add the egg yolks to the sugar mixture, mixing well.

5. Gradually add the milk and water, beating thoroughly.

6. Add the grated Sweet Potato and mix well.

7. Add the cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.

8. Dredge the fruit in flour and add to the Sweet Potato mixture. (Coating the fruit with flour helps to keep it from dropping to the bottom before the pudding is baked.)

9. Fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites.

10. Pour into a greased baking dish.

11. Bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Delicious served with hard sauce.

*You can find citron in most good candy shops.
**Toasted Walnuts: Cook walnuts in a skillet at medium-high heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add a bit of vegetable oil before adding walnuts to skillet, if desired.

Hard Sauce

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup brandy, bourbon or whiskey
1 egg white
Freshly grated nutmeg

In a medium bowl cream the butter and sugar. Add the brandy and mix well. Blend in the egg white. Serve over the Christmas Pudding and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Makes approximately 6 servings.

Find more superb sweet potato recipes in Talmadge´sThe Sweet Potato Cook Book at Amazon.