Dulce de Boniato - A Spanish Christmas Pastry Filling
Dulce de boniato is a sweet Spanish pastry filling used mostly around Christmas for filling pastries like pastissets (pastelitos) or empanadillas dulces. While most people use the canned variety here, it is quite easy to make and tastes much better when you make it at home.
To prepare the boniatos, clean them well by scrubbing the skins under running water.
Prick the skins of the boniatos with a fork and place them in the preheated oven on a grill over a pan to catch any drips.
Bake until softened. Check after 35-40 minutes and continue to bake for up to an hour.
Once softened, remove the boniatos from the oven.
Peel the boniatos, and add the peeled boniatos to a bowl.
Add the other ingredients to the bowl and blend together with an immersion blender or in a food processor.
The pastry filling should be rather thick. If it's on the thinner side, cook the mixture in a pan over low heat, stirring constantly. This helps evaporate the excess moisture. Cook until thickened.
Rather than bake the boniatos, you can also peel them and add them to boiling water to cook them. This method adds more liquid to the boniatos, which you may need to cook off to thicken the mixture.
Flavor variations
Anise liqueur can be used to flavor the filling instead of the cinnamon and lemon zest, if you prefer.
Storage
Boniato filling can be kept for up to a week in the fridge. The more sugar you add, the longer it will keep. The mixture can also be canned or frozen for later use.