Sweet potatoes are in season and make delicious ingredients when making pies and puddings; they also taste great when baked on their own with a little butter or brown sugar. Here are a few sweet potato recipes from The African-American Kitchen by Angela Shelf Medearis.

EAST AFRICAN SWEET POTATO PUDDING Yield: 8 Servings 1 quart water 6 medium sweet potatoes (about two pounds), peeled and cut into 1 -inch cubes 3 cups milk 1 cup heavy cream 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon ground saffron 1 teaspoon ground cardamom Boil water in a heavy saucepan. Drop in the sweet potatoes and cook uncovered until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Drain the potatoes in a sieve or colander and return them to the pan. Add the milk, cream, sugar, saffron, and cardamom. Stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, bring the mixture to a boil over moderate heat.

Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, about 1 hour, stirring often. The pudding is done when it is smooth and is thick enough to hold its shape almost solidly in the spoon.

With the back of the spoon, rub the pudding through a fine sieve into a serving bowl. Refrigerate the pudding until cool. Before serving, sprinkle the top with a little additional ground cardamom.

WALNUT SWEET POTATO PIE Yield: 1 9-inch pie 2 medium sweet potatoes or yams, peeled and boiled until tender 1 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk 1 teaspoon orange zest 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell Walnut Topping 1 egg 3 tablespoons dark corn syrup 3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar 1 tablespoon melted butter 1 teaspoon maple flavouring 1 cup chopped walnuts PREHEAT the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mash the hot sweet potatoes or yams with the butter or margarine until smooth. Add the milk, zest, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, sale, and eggs and beat until the mixture is creamy. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the topping: In a small bowl, mix well the egg, syrup, sugar, butter, and maple flavouring. Stir in the walnuts.

Remove the pie from the oven; spoon the topping evenly over the top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes longer, or until the pie is firm and golden brown. Serve warm or chilled. Refrigerate any leftovers.

TWICE-BAKED SWEET POTATOES Yield: 8 servings 4 medium sweet potatoes 2 cup milk 1 cup peanut butter 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 cup peanuts PREHEAT the oven to 425 degrees.

Arrange the sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet or in a baking pan. Bake until fork-tender, 50 to 60 minutes. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. (If using a microwave, arrange the sweet potatoes like the spokes of a wheel with the smaller ends in the middle. Microwave on high for 10 to 15 minutes, or until fork-tender.) When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice each one lengthwise.

Leaving the shells intact, scoop out the flesh and put in a bowl. Mash the flesh, the add the milk, peanut butter, cinnamon, and salt and beat until fluffy.

Spoon into the shells. Sprinkle with the nutmeg and peanuts and place on a baking sheet.

Bake the sweet potatoes until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. (If using a microwave oven, microwave on medium for 4 minutes.) SWEET POTATO PIE Yield: 6 servings 2 cups boiled and mashed sweet potatoes 1 1 cups sugar 1 teaspoon lemon extract 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 eggs 1 tablespoon cream 6 teaspoons butter or margarine 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

With a mixer on medium speed, blend all the ingredients except the pie shell until smooth. Spoon the filling into the unbaked shell. Bake for 1 hour, or until firm.

SWEET POTATO CANDY Yield: About 36 pieces 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, boiled, and mashed 4 cups sugar 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon pineapple, apple, or orange juice, vanilla extract, or cinnamon, according to taste Confectioner's sugar for dusting the candies PUT the mashed sweet potatoes in a pan and add the sugar and lemon juice. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture separates easily from the pan.

Set aside to cool completely. Add the flavouring. Take small portions of the mixture, dust in the confectioner's sugar, and roll out into 12-inch-long sticks. Set aside to dry. Wrap in wax-paper twists.