Desserts

Sweet Potato Dessert, Cinnamon Bourbon Cocktail, and The Overstory

June 6, 2025
editor
Pairing the Sweet Potato Dessert with "The Overstory" by Richard Powers and a spiced Cinnamon Bourbon Cocktail makes for an enriching book club experience. The earthy and comforting flavors of the dessert echo the novel's deep connection with nature. Meanwhile, the cocktail's warm spices complement both the dessert's pecan topping and the autumn ambience. Together, this trio provides a sensorial journey that invites reflection on the intertwined narratives of trees and humans.
Sweet Potato Dessert

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/2 cup whole milk or cream
  • 2 large eggs
  • Pinch of salt

Optional Topping:

  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons melted butter

Instructions

  • Prepare the Sweet Potatoes: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Boil the sweet potatoes in a large pot of water until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and let cool slightly.
  • Make the Sweet Potato Filling: In a large mixing bowl, mash the cooked sweet potatoes until smooth. Stir in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, melted butter, and milk or cream. Mix well to combine. Add the eggs and a pinch of salt, and whisk until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
  • Bake: Pour the sweet potato mixture into a greased 9×9-inch baking dish or pie dish. If using the topping, mix together the chopped pecans, brown sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl and sprinkle over the top of the sweet potato mixture. Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until the filling is set and the top is slightly golden.
  • Serve: Let the dessert cool slightly before serving. Enjoy warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for an extra touch of indulgence.

The Overstory

The Overstory

"The Overstory" by Richard Powers is a sweeping novel about the intricate connections between humans and trees. As nine strangers' lives unfold and intertwine with arboreal allies, Powers delivers a profound exploration of nature's power and the resilience of living beings.
Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction Winner of the William Dean Howells Medal Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize Over One Year on the New York Times Bestseller List A New York Times Notable Book and a Washington Post, Time, Oprah Magazine, Newsweek, Chicago Tribune, and Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year "The best novel ever written about trees, and really just one of the best novels, period." —Ann Patchett The Overstory, winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, is a sweeping, impassioned work of activism and resistance that is also a stunning evocation of—and paean to—the natural world. From the roots to the crown and back to the seeds, Richard Powers’s twelfth novel unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fables that range from antebellum New York to the late twentieth-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. There is a world alongside ours—vast, slow, interconnected, resourceful, magnificently inventive, and almost invisible to us. This is the story of a handful of people who learn how to see that world and who are drawn up into its unfolding catastrophe.

Discussion Questions

  • How do the trees function as characters within the novel, and what do they represent?
  • In what ways are the stories of the human characters intertwined with each other, and with the trees?
  • Discuss how Powers uses the structure of the novel to reinforce its central themes.
  • What role does fate versus free will play in the storyline of "The Overstory"?
  • How does "The Overstory" challenge our perception of time and history?
  • What ethical questions about nature and the environment does the book raise?
  • In what ways did this book change your perceptions of the natural world?
  • How do each character's relationships reflect their understanding of the stories of the trees?
  • Discuss how the book addresses the theme of resistance.
  • What emotional reactions did you have while reading the novel, and what fueled those emotions?
Authors: Richard Powers
ISBN: 9780393356687
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published Date: 2018-04-03

Cinnamon Bourbon Cocktail

Cinnamon Bourbon Cocktail
Warm up with a Cinnamon Bourbon Cocktail, a perfect autumn drink that echoes the sweet and spicy notes of a cozy fall dessert. This cocktail combines the warmth of bourbon with cinnamon, honey, and a hint of apple to create a drink that enriches any gathering.

Ingredients

Cocktail Mix:

  • 2 oz bourbon
  • 1/2 oz cinnamon simple syrup
  • 1/2 oz apple cider
  • Dash of Angostura bitters

Garnish:

  • Cinnamon stick
  • Slice of apple

Instructions

Prepare the Cocktail:

  • In a shaker filled with ice, combine bourbon, cinnamon simple syrup, apple cider, and bitters.
  • Shake well until chilled.
  • Strain into a rocks glass filled with a large ice cube.

Garnish and Serve:

  • Garnish with a cinnamon stick and a slice of apple.
  • Serve immediately and enjoy.