Habichuelas con Dulce (Sweet Beans)

Cooking Time: 2 Hours
Serves 6

This traditional Dominican Lenten and Easter dessert is adapted from a recipe by Wendy Castro’s mother, Mercedes, and is a special on Solar Café’s menu.

Ingredients:
1¾ cups dried, dark-red kidney beans
1 medium-sized batata* (Caribbean sweet potato), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 2-inch long cinnamon sticks
1 cup coconut milk
3 cups evaporated milk
10 cloves
1/2 cup sugar (or more to taste)
½ teaspoon coarse salt (or more to taste)
1/4 cup dark raisins
milk crackers for garnish* (optional)

Directions:

1. The night before: Soak beans overnight in 3¼ cups of cold water. Drain, and add same amount of fresh water. Bring to a simmer and cook until soft, roughly 40 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Bring 4 cups of water and one of the cinnamon sticks to a boil. Add batata cubes and simmer until al dente, approximately 15 minutes. Strain and set aside, reserving cooking water.
3. Puree beans in a food processor or blender, adding batatas’ cooking water as needed to achieve a smooth, thick paste, nearly the consistency of sour cream. Push beans through a fine mesh sieve to remove skins.
4. Put coconut milk, evaporated milk, cloves, remaining cinnamon stick, salt and sugar in a three-quart pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer gently, stirring often, until sugar totally dissolves. Simmer for 10 minutes. Strain to remove cinnamon stick and cloves.
5. In a large pot, mix together bean puree and milks. Mixture should be the consistency of oil. Add cooking water from the batatas, as needed, to achieve this. Add salt and raisins, and simmer on medium-low for nearly 15 minutes, stirring regularly to avoid sticking.
6. Add batatas and simmer gently, mixing often, until mixture is the consistency of heavy cream. .
7. Serve warm or chilled, garnished with milk crackers.

* Available in Caribbean markets.