Mitchell from Madison, WI (2018 Week 6: Puddings)

Baker

Mitchell

Location

Madison, WI

Baking Challenge

Sponge Puddings

Give your dessert a clever name – and tell us about your recipe.

Honey Apple & Syrupy Sweet Potato Puddings – For the honey apple pudding, I used apples from our neighborhood orchard, local honey as a syrup and cinnamon for seasoning. The sweet potato pudding used sweet potato puree, Wisconsin maple syrup as a topping, and cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves for seasoning.

What was the biggest surprise during your baking journey? Did you use any unconventional approaches? What did you learn along the way? Tell us about it!

This bake was a new experience for me! First, I had no clue what "pudding" was supposed to come out looking like, and am still slightly confused… Oh well! I baked the puddings in a sort of "bain marie" steam bath, which was a new technique for me. While they turned out tasty, they could have been a bit more baked. I also learned a little bit about my flavor pairings. Most of my flavors were very SWEET, so I need to mix it up a bit to even out the intensity of my flavor combinations. Here comes the sugar crash!

How did you add a Wisconsin twist to your flavors or decoration?

The apples were from our neighborhood orchard. The apples are still a little tart, but they went well with the sweetness of the honey, which was from a local beekeeper. The maple syrup was from a farm west of Madison and was bought at the Madison Farmers Market. To decorate both puddings, I cut out a Wisconsin-shaped apple and a Badger "W" shaped sweet potato.

How did you do?

Feeling humbled.