I made something yesterday that I hadn't made in 20 years, I think — a sweet potato pie. When I was growing up in coastal North Carolina, we didn't eat pumpkins. We ate sweet potatoes. My mother made sweet potato pies for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Here's yesterday's pie when it was ready to be baked in the oven.
And here's what it looked like when it was done. I made a pâte sablée — a cookie crust. My inspiration was a gigantic sweet potato (patate douce) that I found at Intermarché the other day. Both our local markets regularly stock sweet potatoes, so I guess French people are eating them. The one I bought was big enough to give me three cups of cooked, pureed sweet potato flesh.
Sweet Potato Pie
ReplyDeleteThis creamy dessert is subtly spiced and is easy to cut into wedges.
(Recipe from the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission)
Makes 6-8 Servings - Prep: 10 min. - Bake: 50 min. + cooling
1/3 cup (75 g) butter, softened
1/2 cup (75 g) sugar (or less)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup (20 ml) cream or half & half
3 cups (700 g) cooked sweet potato, mashed or pureed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 unbaked, 9-inch (23 cm) deep-dish pastry shell
In a bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Add milk, sweet potatoes, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt; mix well. (Reduce the quantity of spices if you want.)
Pour into pie shell. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake 35-40 minutes longer or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool. Store in refrigerator. Yield: 6-8 servings.
Haha! I was just going to ask for that in my comment. Thank you!
DeleteJust had some after years without. It was delicious but didn’t hold a candle to yours.
ReplyDeleteI've never had sweet potato pie, only pumpkin, and I've always wondered if the sweet potato version was more starchy tasting than pumpkin? What do you think?
ReplyDeleteNo, it's not starchy compared to pumpkin. The sweet potato flesh is sweet, so I reduced by half the amount of sugar I put in the custard.
DeleteI’ve never had sweet potato pie either.
ReplyDeleteBettyAnn
P.S. I guess I’m a day behind. I just commented on yesterday’s post saying that I will be in Paris for the month of January. Want to join me for lunch?
Let me see what I can do. I'd take the train, but I still have the problem of getting to the trains station out here. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for thinking of this.
DeleteSweet potato pies seem more popular around here in Alabama. In Kentucky we always had pumpkin which is still my preference. Your pie looks perfect.
ReplyDeleteSo often, pumpkin pie is made with pumpkin purée out of a can. Walt makes his with pumpkin or butternut puree that he makes himself. That makes his pies really good. Another thing we do is reduce the quantity of spices that go into the custard. It's better to taste the freshy cooked pumpkin or sweet potato flesh rather than too much spice.
DeleteI, too, was eager to see your recipe! Merci, Ken! The only time I've had it was in San Francisco!
ReplyDeleteWas that at a restaurant. I'm trying to think if I ever had sweet potato pie in SF.
ReplyDelete