Pain Patate

I recently did some research on Haiti, and in particular national dishes of Haiti. I found four national plates, but I decided to make this one because it sounded the tastiest. This is called Pain Patate, which literally means potato bread, but it is more like a pudding, and in some cases is even more cake-like. It is made with sweet potatoes, which work well in baked goods just like pumpkin or zucchini would. It also contains banana and coconut milk, typical flavors of Haiti. In addition, it contains a nice blend of spices. I left out the cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon. It tasted pretty good warm from the oven, if you like sweet potato that is. Coconut is also a prevalent flavor. The texture was a bit softer than I expected, but it is pudding, so I guess that makes sense. Nonetheless, it was interesting to try a dish from a different country and appreciate new flavors, as well as what we have here. This dish would be more like a vegetable side dish for me, but it is sweet enough to be a dessert too! I bet it would even work as a breakfast dish.

Pain Patate
2 pounds sweet potatoes, cooked and grated
1 large banana, mashed
1 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
1 1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Add all ingredients to a large bowl, one at a time, in order given, stirring well after each addition. Pour into a 9x13 inch baking pan. Bake at 375◦F for 90 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.