It was fitting that for the holidays I made a traditional pie based on a family recipe (not my family's recipe...I can't take credit for that. But I can say - thank you, Jean, for giving me your variation on your mom's recipe). After all, it is the time of year to see the people who knew you when you were a little brat angel, reminisce about old times, and resurrect traditions, especially traditional foods. This year during the holidays, I was lucky to see many family members whom I haven't seen in too many years...and to promote the blog to them. Welcome, family, and thanks for increasing my readership to ten.
For two pies, you need the tried and true pie crust, 4 large sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar, white sugar, half and half, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and brandy (E&J Brandy is recommended by Jean).
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| I cooked too many sweet potatoes. I cooked six and made 3 pies, so I think it's about 2 sweet potatoes per pie. |
First, place sweet potatoes in boiling water for about twenty minutes or until they are cooked (a knife should insert easily into the center). Peel the potatoes, and add 2 cups of cooked sweet potatoes to a food processor.
Then add 4 ounces (1 stick) of butter, 3/4 cup of white sugar, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, and blend until smooth.
Then add 1 cup of half and half as you continue to blend.
Next, beat together 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1 tablespoon brandy. Add this mixture to the food processor and blend until smooth.
Next, roll out the pie dough and line the bottom of a dish with it. This first time I made this, I blind baked the crust, and the second time I made this I did not. Turns out blind baking is unnecessary (thank goodness because it is a bit of a hassle).
Next, pour the filling into the crust.
Cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of the pie. Let cool and then refrigerate overnight.
If you're so inclined, the next day, make whipped cream by whipping 2 cups of heavy cream in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer on medium-high speed, then adding 4 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Pipe it onto the top of the pie like so:
Sweet Potato Pie (for 2 pies)
2 cups cooked sweet potato
4 ounces (1 stick) of butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon brandy
tried and true pie crust
Place 4 sweet potatoes in boiling water and cook about 20 minutes until soft. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Peel the potatoes and put 2 cups of cooked sweet potato in a food processor. Add butter, sugar and cinnamon. Blend and add half and half as you blend. In a bowl, beat eggs with vanilla and brandy, then add to food processor and blend until smooth. Roll out pie dough and line dishes. Fill, cover the edges with aluminum foil and bake at 350 until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean (about 45 minutes to an hour).
Sweet Potato Pie (for 1 pie)
1 cup cooked sweet potato
2 ounces (1/2 stick of butter)
1/4 cup white sugar*
1/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 tablespoon brandy
Cook as directed above. This recipe is a bit difficult to cut in half, but I did, using 2 eggs, and it turned out lovely.
*You have a lot of room to increase or decrease the amount of sugar in this pie. The original recipe called for equal parts sugar and sweet potato. I reduced the amount of sugar. When I made a single pie (rather than 2 at once), I only put 1/4 cup each of white and brown sugar, and it turned out very tasty. Because sweet potatoes are (obviously) naturally sweet, you can reduce the amount of sugar significantly. It really depends on how sweet you like your pie.
Whipped Cream (for 1 pie)
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix cream on medium to high speed, add sugar and vanilla as it mixes. Mix until thick.
Enjoy!
