Description
Southern cooks treasure this sweet potato pie as a cherished family classic with creamy, spiced filling nestled in a buttery crust. Rich flavors and comforting warmth invite you to savor each delectable slice of traditional Southern comfort.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 cups (680 grams) mashed sweet potato (about 3 large sweet potatoes)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup (113 grams) salted butter, browned
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup evaporated milk
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 2 tbsps white sugar
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (113 grams) salted butter, cut into chunks
- ¼ cup ice cold water
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 3 egg whites
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar, or lemon juice
- 6 tbsps brown sugar
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Pastry Preparation: Pulse flour, spices, sugar, and salt in a food processor until uniformly combined, creating a fragrant dry mixture.
- Butter Integration: Cut chilled butter into the dry ingredients, mixing until the texture resembles coarse sand, ensuring even distribution of fat.
- Dough Formation: Drizzle ice water into the mixture, gently kneading until a cohesive dough develops. Shape into a compact disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for one hour to relax gluten and solidify butter.
- Sweet Potato Transformation: Boil sweet potato halves until fork-tender, then puree until silky smooth. Fold in caramelized butter, sweeteners, warm spices, and evaporated milk, straining if desired for ultimate refinement.
- Filling Enrichment: Incorporate vanilla, flour, and eggs into the cooled sweet potato mixture, whisking until perfectly harmonized and luxuriously creamy.
- Crust Deployment: Roll out chilled dough and delicately drape into a pie dish. Freeze briefly, then blind bake with ceramic weights at high heat until edges turn golden and crisp.
- Pie Assembly: Reduce oven temperature and pour sweet potato filling into the pre-baked crust. Bake until the filling sets with a gentle wobble, indicating perfect custard-like consistency.
- Meringue Crowning: Whip egg whites with cream of tartar, gradually adding sugar and vanilla until glossy peaks form. Pipe or spread meringue atop the cooled pie, optionally caramelizing with a culinary torch for a dramatic, burnished finish.
Notes
- Chill Butter Strategically: Freeze butter for 15 minutes before cutting into small pieces to ensure the flakiest, most tender pie crust texture.
- Sweet Potato Perfection: Select firm, uniform sweet potatoes without blemishes for consistent, smooth puree and best flavor profile.
- Moisture Management: Pat sweet potatoes completely dry after boiling to prevent excess liquid that could compromise the filling’s stability.
- Meringue Mastery: Ensure egg whites are room temperature and use a clean, grease-free bowl for maximum volume and stable peaks when whipping.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Southern American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 30 g
- Sodium: 200 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg