SWEET POTATO FLAN

Steps:

• Pierce sweet potatoes several times with a fork; place on a baking sheet.
• Bake at 375* for 1 hour or until done; cool to touch.
• Peel sweet potatoes, and mash.
• Set aside 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes; reserve any remaining sweet potatoes for another use.
• Sprinkle sugar in a 10-inch round cakepan; place over medium heat, and cook, shaking pan constantly, until sugar melts and turns a light golden brown.
• Remove from heat, and set aside.
• (Melted sugar may crack slightly as it cools).
• Combine half of sweet potatoes, 1 can sweetened condensed milk, and half of next 6 ingredients in container of an electric blender; blend until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides.
• Pour mixture into a large bowl.
• Repeat procedure; add to bowl, stirring well with a wire whisk.
• Pour mixture over caramelized sugar in cakepan; cover with aluminum foil, and place in a larger shallow pan.
• Add hot water to larger pan to depth of 1/2 inch.
• Bake at 325* for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.
• Remove cakepan from water, and uncover; cool in pan on a wire rack 30 minutes.
• Refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
• Loosen edges of flan from pan with a small knife; invert onto a serving plate.
• Garnish, if desired, with toasted coconut.
• Yield: 1 (10-inch) flan.