Melt 8 tablespoons of the butter and cut the remaining 8 tablespoons into 1/4-inch cubes. Butter an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. For individual servings use 8 (4 to 6 ounce) ramekins or baking cups. Set aside.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350F.

Mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher or a fork and press through a fine sieve or pulse in a food processor to smooth the texture. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs for the top. Add the remaining breadcrumbs, figs, and melted butter to the sweet potatoes. Stir to combine. Beat in the sugar, eggs, and half-and-half. Turn the mixture into the prepared dish. Dot with the cubed butter, and sprinkle the top with the reserved 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs and cinnamon. The pudding can be assembled up to two days before baking.

Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Serves 8


Recipe created by Jeffrey Madura, Executive Chef of John Ash & Co.,


Courtesy of the California Fig Advisory Board


Chef's Note:

Jeffrey Madura prefers panko breadcrumbs. Panko are coarser crumbs traditionally used for deep-frying in Japanese cooking and are available at grocery stores or Asian markets. If using Panko, increase the amount of crumbs to 1 1/3 cups, but keep the 2 tablespoons for the top the same.