I was kind of talking to myself but said out loud, “I hope people on the east coast will see this, it’s already almost 5pm there!” Truman was buried in a book across the room, and said without looking up, ‘It’s so weird that people on the east coast read your blog, Mom.” I asked him why. He’s like, “Well, it’s just so weird that ANYONE reads your blog!” Ahahaha! Spoken like a typical surly 10-year-old boy. Nothing like a little pre-teen realism to keep my ego in check. Since you are one of the “weirdos” reading my blog though, are you getting all the Thanksgiving recipes I have been sending to you? I have a true and abiding love for Thanksgiving food and have made so many fun recipes over the years to help you map out your menus. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Have you got your Turkey recipe? Have you made your Gravy ahead of time? (Please, it’s the only way!) Mashed potato plan all set? Cranberry sauce? How about the all important Stuffing? Sweet potatoes? And you need at least 8 pies of course. Oh and don’t forget the Rolls so that the kids have something to eat ;) Today I have one last dessert recipe that hopefully you can fit into your menu plan if you’re not already maxed out. If you are, save it for Christmas, because I’m telling you my friends, this pie is the stuff of DREAMS. Don’t get me wrong, I still love me some pumpkin pie, especially my version that has a Creme Brulee topping, but there is something magical about sweet potatoes that I didn’t even know. All my testers for this pie said the same thing. The first words out of their mouths after digging in to this sweet potato pie is to trash pumpkin pie. “Omg. This is so much better than pumpkin pie.” On the day I did the photoshoot, there was pie everywhere, on a thousand different plates in our kitchen. (I tend to go overboard on shoot days, making sure I get juuust the right bite shot and angles) I walked in to see Eric not even bothering with a plate, but hunched over the pie pan itself, whipped cream on his chin, shoveling in bite after bite. I asked him, “Do you really think it’s better than pumpkin pie?” He looked at me very seriously, “I’ve never felt this way about a pumpkin pie.” Well there you have it my friends. True love right there. I’m starting to get nervous about the competition.
Using the right spices: allspice and fresh nutmeg star here, along with a little cardamom and black pepper. Yes, really! Black pepper does not make it spicy but gives just the right rich flavor. Whip in the egg whites and add at the end for the BEST fluffy texture Use buttermilk instead of cream for a tangy flavor that contrasts so well with the potatoes and keeps it from becoming cloyingly sweet. Make a homemade pie crust with lard. (this is a southern recipe, after all, embrace your roots) Garnish with Salted Caramel Whipped Cream!!
This deserves it’s own paragraph. I did not know you could whip salted caramel, but you can, and it gets fluffy and light. Then you add cream and keep whipping and it turns into the most AMAZING whipped cream that is light and fluffy and exactly the flavor of salted caramel. I’m sooo excited about this! This is optional, but the praline topping, made of flour and sugar and butter and an egg, is SOOO good, it kind of makes this feel like a pecan pie mashup situation. The topping melts into the top of the pie to create a smooth layer. It’s pretty and adds the perfect crunch. I’ll show you how to make it both ways! More on that below, but first: Sometimes they will be labeled yams. But I promise, they are sweet potatoes. True yams are white on the inside and have a tough brown skin, almost like tree bark. Don’t worry too much about mixing them up. Unless you are at an international market, you won’t see any true yams. Anything you pick up will be sweet potato since about 95% of yams are grown in Africa! A couple hundred years ago firm sweet potatoes (that kept their firmness even after cooking) were common in the states. When soft sweet potatoes (what we use) came on the scene, people wanted another word to differentiate between the two. At that time, enslaved Black Americans had already started calling firm sweet potatoes “yams”. They were eaten in place of the true yams that had been a staple food back in Africa. In fact, the word yam comes from the African words “njam”, “nyami, or “djambi”, meaning “to eat.” That’s just how prevalent and important yams are in Africa! It was natural to transfer the word to a new (and vaguely similar) root plant. The term caught on, and that’s why sweet potatoes are sometimes called yams here in America. Personally, I think “yams” is the cutest nickname and hope the tradition never dies! Pumpkin pie and sweet potato pie started to develop around the same time. Climate determined what was more popular: in the north, pumpkin grew easily; in the warm humid south, sweet potato vines thrived. African American slaves started creating sweets from it by first mashing sweet potatoes with some spices and a bit of sugar, and eventually created the baked pie version. It is still a HUGE tradition all throughout the south, but especially in many Black American homes, where not only is it holiday tradition but part of a rich cultural heritage. If you want to learn more, read here or here to start! First, make the right selection. Look for smaller, fatter potatoes that hopefully are more in their “storage phase” vs their “growing stage” and will be less stringy. I never woud have thought of this, I always used to choose the skinny straight potatoes because they are easier to peel. But instead, get the fat ones! Look for smooth skin and avoid tubers that have eyes that are sprouting. If you can, look for Covington or Jewel varieties, which tend to be less stringy than Beauregard (the most common). Even with the right potato, you’re going to have some sweet potatoes with strings, they’re just kinda built that way. Here’s the next step you can take: roasting only, no boiling or microwaving. Read more: BUT YOU GUYS. I tried it both ways. I boiled sweet potatoes in a bit of water, and roasted potatoes with a light coat of olive oil. No salt, sugar, nothing: Can you see the difference, even in color? These are both straight out of the food processor. The Roasted potatoes are darker in color, more rich in flavor, and by golly they are SWEETER. Did someone spike this with sugar?? Nope, it’s just science: apparently the higher temperature of baking vs boiling helps break down the starches into simple sugars, so baking literally creates more of that sugar-sweet caramelized taste we want. Can you see how the texture of the bowl on the left is even smoother? Roasting solves the stringiness problem. Say no to stringy pie. We want a dreamy creamy custard that makes it feel like we have LITERALLY floated onto a cloud, and roasting is the first step toward getting us there. Say it ain’t so, but it’s true: roasting is better. Last resort: use a potato masher. Not the best method but if you roasted, the stringiness won’t be so bad. And last, whether you mash, beat, or blend, you can also press the sweet potato through a sieve if you’re looking for ultra smooth creaminess. This gives the pie crust a super crispy flaky texture. So good! Shortening works great too. The next step: to par-bake or not par-bake? All you need to do is decide if you want a slightly gummy bottom crust on your pie. If so, perfect! Roll out your pie crust and slap it in your pie dish, and let chill in the fridge until you’re ready to fill. I’m not judging you at all, nopity nope nope. BUTTTT if you want a beautifully crispy, flaky, buttery, perfectly cooked pie crust on the bottom…it’s time to par-bake that baby. Fill ‘er up. Follow all the instructions on my Blind Baked Pie Crust to make a par-baked crust. Next up, poke, oil, and roast your potatoes. The photos for this are up above in the stringy potatoes section. Do not boil or microwave. It’s not the same!! Once they are roasted, I insist on using a food processor. If you don’t have one a hand mixer is your best bet, and stop to remove any strings along the way if you see them. Measure out 2 cups of roasted sweet potato. Since every potato weighs a different amount, it’s easiest to just measure and eat the leftover puree as a little halftime snack. You’re welcome. Add in the egg yolks (set the whites asides for later!), buttermilk, and vanilla and sugars. Make sure you are using thicccc buttermilk. If it is thin and milky (not creamy), use half whipping cream and half buttermilk. We need that fat! The spices are really important in sweet potato pie. Have you ever ground your own nutmeg? The flavor is pretty unstoppable. Add in your other spices, lots of cinnamon, some ginger, allspice is important here (not quite as strong as cloves.) I also love to add 1/8 teaspoon each cardamom (my one true love) and black pepper. Black pepper?? Black pepper, yes! It does not make the pie spicy. Just adds the perfect rich flavor, I love it. You can skip it if it makes you feel weird inside. Don’t forget to whip up those egg whites you kept out in the beginning! They do WONDERS for the texture of this pie. They make it light and creamy and cloud like, instead of a heavy custard feeling, like pumpkin pie. Pour your filling into the baked pie crust. Then top your pie crust with some tin foil so it doesn’t get over browned in the oven. THENNNN if you want to be a little extra…halfway through baking you can add the praline topping. I secretly love the praline topping best. The pie is so, so good by itself, and you can’t beat that classic orange-top look. But I LOVE me some pecans and streusel. Once the pie is out of the oven and cooled, it’s time to make the Salted Caramel Whipped Cream! I’m so excited about this you guys! I had no idea whipped caramel was a thing, but look at this: That creamy tan is a straight-up store-bought jar of salted caramel that I chilled in the fridge overnight. This step is essential for getting it to whip. Then once you’ve beat it for a couple minutes, add the cream to the caramel, keep beating, and it will turn into the most DELICIOUS whipped cream you have ever had! Then if you want to be a little extra (who doesn’t?) top each slice with some extra regular salted caramel sauce. The perfect end to a Thanksgiving meal!
Can you freeze sweet potato pie?
Nah, don’t go there. I would much rather eat a piece for every meal than freeze it and risk a bad texture. ;) Technically it can be frozen, but the texture of both the crust and the filling will not be as good as fresh. If you truly need to freeze it, first make sure it comes to room temperature completely. Stick the whole pie plate in the freezer or put cut pieces on a cookie sheet and flash freeze for 30 minutes to set. Then wrap the pieces or whole pie well in plastic wrap. You can add the wrapped pie to a freezer ziplock bag or wrap the whole thing in foil. The pie should be good in the freezer for 2-3 months. To eat, thaw completely overnight, then set it out on the counter an hour or so before eating (unless you like to eat it very cold!).
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