Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place first 9 ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Grease six 4-ounce ramekins with butter. Divide the sweet potato mixture evenly among the ramekins. Place them on a baking sheet and bake until slightly puffed. Check them after 30 minutes, lightly touching the top to test for doneness. If the top is still wet, leave in the oven for a bit longer. Check again every 5 minutes - mine cooked a total of 45 minutes, but ovens can vary. Let cool for 10 minutes.

While the ramekins are baking, cook the water and granulated sugar over medium-low heat in a heavy saucepan until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Do not stir! Increase heat to medium-high and boil without stirring for about another 6 to 7 minutes. The mixture will be syrupy and turn to an amber color. Remove from heat and whisk in the cream. Stir in the butter and sea salt. Finally, add the pecans and stir to coat. Let cool for 10 minutes.

Top each serving of the spoon bread with the caramel pecan sauce. Note: I only used about half of the topping mixture but feel free to drizzle that caramel-y goodness to your heart's content!