Hick’s wins Mayor’s Cup at Sweet Potato Festival
Emily Hardin Hicks, of New Albany, was the winner of the Mayor’s Cup for the Sweet Potato Cooking Contest awarded at the Annual Sweet Potato Banquet in Vardaman Saturday night.
The Mayor’s Cup is selected from all 1st place winners in individual categories.
Emily is the daughter of Don and Mitzi Hardin of Vardaman. She and her husband Brian have four children– Parker, Will, Claire and Cooper.
Emily Hicks
2016 Mayor‘s Cup
Sweet Potato Cheesecake Lasagna
By Emily Hardin Hicks, New Albany, MS
1 box graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 to 2 1/2 cups milk
3 small packages instant vanilla pudding
1 cup sweet potato puree – (2 medium sweet potatoes)
1/2 cup jarred caramel sauce
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Wash, cut, and cook 2 medium sweet potatoes. Allow to cool and puree.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and 1/4 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Slowly add in 2 cups heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form.
In another medium bowl, beat milk, pudding mix, sweet potato puree until well-mixed and thick. (Start with 1 1/2 cups milk and beat until it‘s the consistency of a pudding–if it‘s too thick, continue to add the rest of the milk.)
Finally, in small mixing bowl, beat remaining heavy cream with powdered sugar until it forms soft peaks.
Layer lasagna: Place a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of 9 x 13 dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream cheese mixture over the graham crackers, then top with 1/3 of the sweet potato mixture. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of caramel sauce on the sweet potatoes. Place another layer of graham crackers, 1/3 cream cheese mixture, 1/3 sweet potato mixture, and drizzle 2 tablespoons caramel sauce. Last, place another layer of graham crackers, 1/3 cream cheese mixture, 1/3 sweet potato mixture. Before the final drizzle of caramel, top the last sweet potato layer with whipped cream, then finish with a final drizzle of 2 tablespoons caramel and chopped pecans. Allow lasagna to chill in refrigerator for 4 hours before serving.
