For Them, All the Kitchen’s a Stage

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, my yam-mmm-mousse . . . .” crooned “Housewives’ ” housewife Maggie Mayall, with a chorus of “yeah, yeah, yeah” from her rock ‘n’ roll partners, Hope Juber and Lisa Harrison.

They can’t help it. Put them in a kitchen and they perform. It’s their cue. Their act. With tunes like “In Sink and at Your Disposal,” “Been Defrosting All Day,” “Ironing Bored” and “Reynolds Rap,” would you expect Shakespeare?

The yam mousse evolved in much the same way their lyrics and songs are created: improvisation.

Said Mayall, the originator of the mousse recipe, “I started with mashed yams because I lo-o-ve yams. I don’t like adding sugar to food, so I threw in a banana for sweetness. Then I got cocky and added cream--real cream. Then I baked it, and it became fluffy and puffy. Of course it later fell . . .”

Fluffy? Puffy? You can almost see lyrics forming in their heads. “Give us a sec. We’ll get the words,” Juber said.

“Take your time,” we said. “We’ll settle for the recipe.”

Then it came:

YEAH-YEAH-YEAH YAMM-MMM-MOUSSE

(Lyrics by Maggie Mayall)

For Thanksgiving or any day,

It has a name that’s fun to say!

It goes with turkey, ham or goose,

And that is why we love YAM-MMM MOUSE.

Chorus:

YEAH, YEAH, YEAH YAMM-MMM-MOUSSE!

YEAH, YEAH, YEAH YAMM-MMM-MOUSSE!

It goes with turkey, ham, or goose! That is why we love YAMM-MMM-MOUSSE!

HOUSEWIVES’ YAM MMM MOUSSE (Maggie Mayall)

4 or 5 large sweet potatoes, cooked

1 ripe banana

1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

2 eggs, separated

1/4 cup hot milk or half and half

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon butter, diced

Peel off skins of cooked sweet potatoes and scoop out pulp. Mash until smooth. Add banana and mash until well blended.

Combine melted butter, egg yolks, hot milk and ginger in bowl. Mix until blended. Add to mashed potato-banana mixture. Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold into mashed mixture.

Lightly grease mousse ramekin, souffle dish or casserole. Spoon mashed mixture into casserole and smooth out top with spatula. Make design with fork, if desired. Dot top with diced butter. Bake at 400 degrees about 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated through. Makes 6 to 8 servings.