Deep South Sweet Potato Pie

In most households, food is always at the heart of the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations. During the winter holidays sweet deserts figure prominently in our meals and gatherings. These recipes are created from fresh local ingredients typically found in the Deep South - sweet potatoes, pecans, oranges and Satsuma’s which are plentiful now.

This Sweet Potato Pie recipe is a wonderful Southern desert which can be doctored up with cinnamon and other spices to closely resemble Pumpkin Pie. However this pie is flavored only with cane syrup and vanilla which preserves the taste of the sweet potato.

This pie is easy to make and isn’t very time intensive.  I have included a recipe for pie crust but if you are pressed for time, or just don’t trust your pie-crust-making chops, you can always substitute a store-bought pie shell.

Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet Potato Pie

2 cups baked, peeled and mashed sweet potatoes

3 eggs, separated (Note:  you can simplify this recipe by not separating the eggs, but it is not recommended. The pie will be much lighter and fluffier if the egg whites are whipped and folded into the filling.)

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup Steen’s cane syrup

2 pinches salt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 unbaked pie crust

Whipped cream (The real stuff — not frozen dairy topping)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Place an inverted, heavy-duty baking sheet on a shelf in the lower third of the oven. This will ensure that your pie produces an evenly brown crust.
3. In a mixing bowl, beat mashed sweet potatoes and egg yolks. Cream until light and fluffy.
4. Add cane syrup, salt and vanilla. Mix until thoroughly combined.
5. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into sweet potato mixture.
6. Turn mixture into unbaked pie shell and smooth out the surface with a rubber spatula.
7. Place pie on inverted baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes.
8. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake until pie is set in the middle, about 30 minutes.
9. Cool and serve with fresh whipping cream. You can also garnish by adding a few pecans on top of the whipping cream. Delicious!

 Pie Crust

This pie crust recipe is made light and flaky by the addition of White Lily flour, which is made from soft winter wheat. The rising agents in the flour also help produce a brown bottom crust which is quite difficult to do. As the crust rises, it pushes up against the pie filling, which presses it back against the pan and promotes browning.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup White Lily self-rising flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 pound very cold butter (not margarine)

3 tablespoons ice-cold water

Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine flours and salt. Pulse 3 times to mix.
2. Cut butter into 8 tablespoon size pieces, then quarter each piece.
3. Add to bowl of food processor and pulse 2 or 3 times until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
4. Add water and pulse just to combine.
5. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form into a ball.
6. Place ball between 2 sheets of wax paper and press into a disc about 5 inches in diameter.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
8. Roll out dough, positon in pie plate, trim and crimp edges as desired.

Yield: Makes one pie crust

Whipped Cream

1/2 pint very heavy whipping cream

3 tablespoons powdered sugar. You can also use granulated sugar if necessary.

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Combine whipping cream, sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and beat with electric mixer until cream forms soft peaks.
2. Refrigerate in tightly covered bowl.

Yield: Makes about 2 cups. 

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Please visit Operation Letters To Santa for almost 1000 pages of Winter Holiday and Christmas family traditions, recipes, games, crafts, Christmas sheet music, Christmas carols, tales and so much more!

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