billionaire's dessert unlocked: crème brûlée baked directly in a roasted Japanese sweet potato recipe (2024)

scroll down for this gluten-free recipe

Dear Fam,

Growing up, I lived and breathed Japanese culture, and when I was 12 years old, I told Ah Gong (my maternal grandpa) how much I loved anime, sushi, and ramen, and he scolded me rather furiously. Ah Gong lived through the Second Sino-Japanese War; the Japanese captured and tortured him. He barely survived their bombing raids of China. He didn’t understand why his favorite granddaughter was such a Japaneseophile.

We never spoke about Japan again.

I only recently understood why I love Japanese food and culture so much. As a child, I was ashamed to be Chinese. I thought I was ugly because people kept making fun of my “chinky” eyes. They told me to go back to China. (I was in my late 20s when I finally visited China, but I just touched Hong Kong.) Whenever something was “Made in China,” it felt cheap and dirty. Rampant xenophobia made me shun my own culture to embrace everything Japanese.

So, I grew up a weaboo, and these days, when I cook and bake, I turn to Japanese inspiration and recipes. In February, my family and I are returning to Tokyo, our favorite city. We watched many Japanese tourism videos, like the ones from Paolo from Tokyo.

He raved about a street food found near Asakusa, crème brûlée baked directly in a roasted sweet potato.

Of course, I had to recreate it at home because it is still months away before we go on our family trip to Japan.

I can roast sweet potatoes perfectly and make crème brûlée with just four ingredients. Easy peasy. Here is my technique on roasting sweet potatoes:

https://katlieu.substack.com/p/for-the-creamiest-roasted-sweet-potatoes

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Before you start this recipe, note you will need a few hours, so I recommend roasting the potatoes the day before and keeping them in the fridge. The next day, make the crème brûlée base.

Reel for reference:

ROAST THE POTATOES FIRST, about 3 to 4 of them:

https://katlieu.substack.com/p/for-the-creamiest-roasted-sweet-potatoes

Make the crème brûlée base

Ingredients:

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling later

• 3 egg yolks

• 1 teaspoon miso, red or white

1. Preheat the oven to 325F with a rack in the center.

2. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan on medium heat. Meanwhile, whisk the sugar, egg yolks, and miso together until hom*ogenous and smooth. Once the cream is hot but not simmering yet, remove from heat. I just poke a finger into the cream to see if it’s hot to touch. Don’t do that because you don’t have calloused fingers and grandma's hands like mine. Just a bit over 110F is good.

3. Temper the egg mixture with a scoop of the hot heavy cream and whisk. Once hom*ogenous, dump all of the egg mixture into the saucepan with the cream and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined. It should be thick but runny.

4. Refer to my video on how to cut the potatoes. Remove a section from the middle of the roasted sweet potato, using a knife to cut out a pointy teardrop shape. Scoop out potato flesh to form a sweet potato vessel or makeshift ramekin for the crème brûlée base. Place the prepared sweet potato on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

5. Fill the hollowed-out sweet potato with crème brûlée base to the top. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the centers are set but still wobbly.

6. Refrigerate for about 15 to 30 minutes. Add a teaspoon of granulated sugar evenly across the top of the custard layer. Make sure it’s a nice layer of sugar, so you might need to add more.

7. Broil on high or torch the top until all the sugar melts and caramelizes. If using a broiler, keep an eye on the potatoes— the sugar and the cream will melt fast! Once cooled, the sugar layer will harden to a beautiful crunch. Enjoy!

   Nowadays, I joyfully immerse myself in a blend of cultures - Chinese, Vietnamese, Filipino, Taiwanese, Japanese, and American. My heritage is Chinese Vietnamese, and my husband's is Filipino-Taiwanese, creating a rich tapestry of cultural influences in our lives. I've learned to let go of any shame or anger associated with my identity, including the painful histories that affected my ancestors. The atrocities committed by the Japanese during wartime, while never forgotten, no longer hold a grip on my present feelings.

   Similarly, I acknowledge the complex history of France, notably its colonization of Vietnam, yet I choose not to let it hinder my appreciation for French cuisine. Preparing crème brûlée, a quintessentially French dessert, is a testament to moving forward, embracing the beauty of cultural influences while acknowledging the past. This is my way of celebrating diversity and the fusion of traditions in a modern, globalized world. We move forward with beautiful and delicious food and culinary fusions.

   xoxoxo,
   Kat Lieu

   
   PS: Proper fusion is not cultural appropriation…

   why we need to keep talking about cultural appropriation in the culinary world and our next steps

   Kat Lieu

   ·

   December 9, 2023

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   “One day, I will be the Asian Julia Child…”- Kat Lieu <3

   and you are paving the path for me to achieve this dream, dear friend