Friday, January 13, 2017

Friday Smiles 203: Sweet Potato Pie


Ah, Friday the 13th.  How appropriate!

I've said this before that this is not a cooking blog, nor do I even claim to be a cook.  In fact, lately, everything I've prepared will qualify for a Friday Smile, which is hosted by Annie at A Stitch in Time.  Maybe a Friday laugh would be a better name for this.



Recipe for Sweet Potato Custard Pie

  • 3 lbs (about 6 medium) sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup sugar NOTE: I used 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 oz (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter NOTE: I used salted and omitted the salt
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional NOTE: I doubled the cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, optional NOTE: I doubled the nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract NOTE: I used Mexican vanilla
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream, or evaporated milk NOTE: I used heavy cream
  • whipped cream
  • 1 recipe basic pastry, (2 crusts) NOTE: I used a purchased graham cracker crust
Scrub the potatoes well under cold running water. Put them in a large, heavy-bottomed pot and add enough cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, reduce the heat to a steady simmer, loosely cover, and cook until the potatoes are tender (about 45 minutes).  Drain and cool enough to handle. (NOTE: I was surprised how long it took to peel these.  They should have peeled much easier, in my opinion)

If you are making your own pastry, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375º. Line two 9-inch pie plates with pastry and prick well with a fork. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, weight with dried beans or pie weights. Partially bake for 20 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and let cool.  Since I purchased a graham cracker crust, I didn't need to do that.

While they are still hot, peel the sweet potatoes and puree through a potato ricer into a large mixing bowl, or cut in chunks and mash them well with a fork or potato masher (NOTE: I used a fork and they mashed fine).

Mix the butter and sugar until absorbed, then stir in the eggs, spices, vanilla and enough cream or evaporated milk to make it smooth but not soupy. It should still be quite thick  (NOTE: In addition to cinnamon and nutmeg, I added cloves and allspice.  I added the butter, brown sugar, and spices to the sweet potatoes before I added the eggs, vanilla, and heavy cream so I could taste it to make sure I had added enough spices and brown sugar.  Once the eggs were added, I knew I wouldn't be able to taste the mix). 

Pour the custard into the prepared pastry, smooth the top, and bake in the center of the oven until set at the center, about 40 minutes. Cool on wire racks and serve at room temperature or slightly chilled, with a healthy dollop of whipped cream.

I knew I did something wrong, because after 1 hour and 20 minutes, the knife I kept inserting was still not coming out clean.  After rereading the instructions, there's a huge difference between "set at the center," and "knife coming out clean."  So, don't make my mistake.  Even though it was incredibly ugly and very dark, it still tasted great. Perhaps the whipped cream I made helped.

Now that you've had your laugh, let's head to Annie's Friday Smiles.  It's a great way to start the weekend and have a smile or laugh in the process.

23 thoughtful remarks:

Valerie-Jael said...

This sounds very good. I love sweet potatoes, so this would be something for me! Have a great Friday, hugs, Valerie

froebelsternchen said...

Oh - delicious! Thanks for sharing dear Elizabeth!
Happy start of the weekend!
oxo Susi

chrissie said...

Oh Yummy! Hope you enjoy it Elizabeth and thank you for sharing how it was made.

Love Chrissie xx

Annie said...

Now that does sound yummy Elizabeth....thanks for sharing and yes you did make me smile.
Hugs,
Annie x

Felix the Crafty Cat said...

Hi Elizabth and Bleu, of course! Interesting recipe and it looks yummy. No skiing today as it's very windy and snowy but should be great for next week, still I can do all my blog visits today and then maybe a little shopping this afternoon...who knows! Have a great Friday, big hugs, Angela xXx

Neet said...

Well, I enjoy cooking/baking and can usually do ok but I can have the occasional mishap. Oh, and I am not that good at making old fashioned parkin, so I would have had a "clean knife" experience. Still your post did make me laugh and I needed that to warm me up this cold morning where outside looks pretty with all the snow but inside is where I prefer to be.

Tell Bleubeard I hope that I will visit more often when I get back from my holiday - yes, you were right, we are off to faraway parts shortly, now had did you deduce that?

Take care, keep enjoying the Sweet Potato Custard Pie, with cream of course.

Hugs, Neet xxxxxx

My name is Erika. said...

You know I've never had sweet potato pie.Its not a big thing here in New England. I think as long as it tastes good is the most important thing. And better than being under cooked so you can't even eat it. :) Happy Friday day! Hugs-Erika

Lisca said...

That sounds really yummy. I've never had sweet potato pie. Thanks for including the recipe.
Never mind your mistake. It tasted nice though didn't it. Next time it will come out perfect, you'll see. I've had many mishaps. Luckily I have a husband who will eat anything.
Your pie would have come out browner than the picture (if there was one) because of all the dark coloured spices you added and the brown sugar.
Enjoy the pie,
Keep smiling,
Hugs,
Lisca

CJ Kennedy said...

A dollop of whipped cream and no one would notice. You could alway say it is Brulee Sweet Potato Pie. Also, charcoal aids in digestion (-; Stay safe and warm this weekend. Sounds like a good one to cuddle with the =^.^=

Krisha said...

I think I would have been doing the same testing....LOL! I would rather have it "done" than just "set"

My grandmother used to make sweet potato pie, because of the spices my brother and I thought it was pumpkin pie the first time we had it. She always used a tooth pick to check the center, I still do the same thing.................good memories!

Thanks for the Friday smiles.................hope the weather doesn't get too horribly cold for you this weekend.

My name is Erika. said...

It dawned on me after commenting and later on (while driving to work) that I wanted to thank you for the reminder in your comment yesterday about the citrosol image transfers. I'd totally forgotten about them. Time to snag a Nat. Geo from the table here at school and do some transferring again. Hope your ice isn't too thick- and that your power doesn't go out either. Hugs again-Erika

Sandy said...

Sure does look tasty to me!
sandy xx

Meggymay said...

Thank you for sharing how you made this delicious sounding pie. Done rather than set sounds good to me as well. I do not like food that hasn't been cooked properly. I think you will be enjoying the pie, it looks yummy.
Yvonne xx

Divers and Sundry said...

I don't care for either sweet potato pie or chess pie, so I'm afraid your creation would be lost on me. More for you! :) I am however trying to take a serious look at the Mediterranean diet, so any posts you want to use to explore that topic would not go amiss. Even though yours is not a cooking blog, it's all about creating art, right? ;)

mamapez5 said...

Sounds interesting. I may be being thick, but why make two pie crusts. Is it just that the filling is enough for two. It does sound a lot of sweet potatoes. I like them small quantities. I might give this a try. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I maybe won't cook it quite so dark for me, but if it tasted good, why worry. Enjoy!
Kate x

Creative Cardiology said...

Oh, some of my cooking atempts look less than yummy as well! I'm with Kate though, if it tasted good, who cares what it looked like--just turn out the lights and eat by candlelight lol.
Have a wonderful week!
Hugs,
Michelle

Stephanie Faris said...

I'm not a sweet potato fan, but I do like them at Thanksgiving with all the sweet stuff on top. So maybe I'd like them in a pie!

Carol said...

I've baked many a pie that looked worse than that and we ate ever bite of them... it's all about the taste :) I love sweet potato so maybe I"ll make one this weekend if the power stays on... be safe in this storm... it's slicker than snot here!

pearshapedcrafting said...

This really looks and sounds delicious - even though you somehow didn't quite get it right - I wonder if it would work with less sugar as I love sweet potatoes and they are something I am allowed to eat that has the word sweet in it! Hugs, Chrisx

Gibby Frogett said...

That sounds really tasty... I don't cook so I read the recipe out to my husband and I think it got his interest...so maybe we may have it oneday :) It was dark but not ugly... the chocolate brownies he makes are dark too but very yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe. Gill x

Halle said...

I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes so I know I won't attempt this recipe. :) Don't you just hate it when you misread something like that! I do it a couple times a year trying out a new recipe. That's why I tend to stick to my tried and true ones!

Jeanie said...

Well, I'm glad the endgame was good! My dad's favorite was custard pie and I used to make it for him quite a bit. And despite decades of hating sweet potatoes, I finally discovered raw ones, roasted and sauteed and they are now one of my favorite food groups! I'm still not big on them sweet for a dish like sweet potatoes at holidays but I'll bet sweet potato pie would be delicious!

I hope you aren't dealing with too much nasty weather. The reports sound a little scary. Be careful out there!

KIRUTHIVASAN said...

I have been visiting your recipe blog. The way of recipe tips looks to be easy for all readers. I would personally recommend our blog visitors to subscribe to obtain useful posts like this periodically. Particularly post on "Sweet Potato Pie" is awesome. Get in touch with us via our websites sweet restaurant in madurai | veg restaurants at pondicherry