Sweet Potato Pie
Below is an article about the dessert known as Sweet Potato Pie:
SWEET POTATO PIE
When it comes to holiday desserts - especially those for Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas, many people tend to bring up the old favorite, Pumpkin Pie. But there is another pie that is also popular in the United States. It is called the Sweet Potato Pie.
Creamy vegetable pies date as far back as the Medieval era in Europe. But like the Pumpkin Pie, Sweet Potato Pie can trace its origin to the early Colonial era, especially in the southern colonies. And like Pumpkin Pie, Sweet Potato Pie can be traced to Native American cuisine. The sweet potato - called a "yam" by some (although it is not one) - is native to the tropical regions of the Americas. Namely the Peruvian forests. Spanish traders who had arrived in Peru, eventually introduced the vegetable worldwide - especially in North America and Europe.
The sweet potato became very popular in Europe, especially in Britain. Cookbooks like 1747's "The Art of Cookery Made Plain and Easy" included recipes for tarts, other pastries and puddings that utilized sweet potatoes. The vegetable eventually attracted the attention of wealthy Southern plantation owners and eventually tasked their enslaved cooks to prepare or create sweet potato dishes.
Originally, the African or African-American slaves were accustomed to the textures and flavors of their native West African root tubers such as the starchy yam and cassava. They did not immediately embrace the sweet potato when it was first introduced. In the end, they regarded the sweet potato as a substitute for the yam and like their enslavers, embraced it. One of the dishes created by enslaved cooks during the Colonial period proved to be the Sweet Potato Pie. This especially tend to be the case in the American South. Since pumpkins grew in abundance in the Northeastern colonies - later states - the Sweet Potato Pie had never reached the same level of popularity in that region, like it did in the South.
Sweet Potato Pie was basically prepared as a dessert in an open pie shell. Its filling consisted of mashed sweet potatoes, evaporated milk, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, nutmeg and eggs. Alternate ingredients include vanilla or lemon extract. The custard filling may vary from light to dense, depending on the recipe's ratio of sweet potato, milk and eggs. As I had hinted earlier, Southerners and African-Americans specifically, usually ate Sweet Potato Pies during the American holiday season, especially on Thanksgiving and Christmas, as a dessert.
Below is a recipe for "Sweet Potato Pie" from Rosie Mayes' I Heart Recipes website:
"Sweet Potato Pie"
Ingredients:
Pie Crust
*Cold butter and butter-flavored shortening
*Cold water
*All-purpose flour
*Salt
*Vanilla extract
*White granulated sugar
(Note: You can also purchase a ready-made pie crust as a substitute)
Pie Filling
*Sweet potatoes or yams
*Evaporated milk or half-and-half milk
*Vanilla extract or Bourbon Vanilla extract
*Cinnamon
*Nutmeg
*Ginger or lemon extract
* Hand-crafted yams spice mix from Rosamae Seasonings
*Two large eggs
*White granulated sugar
Preparation:
Pie Crust
*Combine flour, salt, sugar, vanilla, butter, butter-flavored shortening, and ice-cold water in a stand mixer.
*Mix until well combined into a dough.
*You’ll want to wrap the dough in plastic wrap and allow it to chill in the fridge until you’re ready to roll it out.
*You could also use a food processor to make the dough.
Pie Filling - Boil Sweet Potatoes
*Wash and peel the skins of the sweet potatoes and chop them up into about 1-inch cubes.
*Put the sweet potatoes in a pot with enough water to cover them completely (about 4-6 cups).
*Boil the sweet potatoes until they are fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes.
Pie Filling - Bake Sweet Potatoes
*Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
*Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork, then place on a baking sheet and cook-with the skin on-until fork-tender. The time really depends on how big they are, but it should take about 35 minutes.
*Scoop out the insides of the sweet potatoes into a large bowl, and allow them to cool completely.
Preparation (continued)
*In a large bowl or stand mixer, whip the sweet potatoes until they’re fluffy and creamy-no lumps! You can either use a hand mixer (electric mixer) or the whisk attachment of your stand mixer.
*Next, add the rest of the sweet potato pie filling ingredients-eggs (make sure they’re at room temperature), sugar, spices, vanilla, evaporated milk, and butter (also at room temperature). Mix these ingredients until well combined. You want your pie filling to be almost fluffy-that gives this sweet potato pie its iconic texture.
*Next, roll out the cold pie dough. For best results, you should use a 9-inch pie plate. I do blind-bake my pie crust at 350 degrees for just 10 minutes before adding the filling.
*Finally, add the sweet potato pie filling. Smooth it in that crust, then bake for 45-50 minutes. It will look weird and puffy when it comes out but allow it to cool, and it’ll settle.
*Let the sweet potato pie cool for at least 30 minutes, up to 2-4 hours, until it’s at room temperature. This will allow the pie filling to set completely, so it’s the perfect fluffy texture.