Spiced Sweet Potato Pie - Recipe Challenge Runner-Up #2

Ellary Draper’s Spiced Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 pie crust

• Freshly whipped cream to serve

• 1lb BDA sweet potatoes

• 1 bottle of beer (I used Sierra Nevada pale ale, a stout would also work well)

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• 1/4 cup BDA honey

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp ground cardamom

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 1/2 tsp turmeric

• 1/4 tsp fine salt

• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

• 3 BDA eggs plus 3 yolks

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Bake whole sweet potatoes wrapped in foil until fork tender, allow to cool (could be done ahead of time). Reserve the inside of the sweet potatoes and discard the peels.

2. Preheat oven to 375°. Put the crust into a pie plate, prick the crust with a fork all over, cover with parchment paper and weigh down with pie weights (or dried beans) and partially bake until the edges of the crust are slightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while making the filling. Drop the oven temperature to 350°.

3. While the crust is cooking, pour the beer into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer and allow to reduce until it is about 1/4 cup, 20-30 minutes.

4. In a food processor, puree the cooked sweet potatoes, brown sugar, honey, and spices until smooth.

5. Transfer the sweet potato mixture to a large mixing bowl and whisk in the eggs, egg yolks, milk, and cream.

6. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with 1 1/2 tbsp of water to create a slurry. This will help thicken the filling.

7. Add the slurry to the sweet potato mixture and stir to combine.

8. Pour the mixture into a saucepan (use the same pan you used for the beer), and heat over medium-low, constantly stir the mixture, and it noticeably thickens, about 10-12 minutes.

9. Pour the thickened filling into the pie crust and bake until the filling is set, about 25-30 minutes. The filling will be firm on the sides, but still slightly jiggly in the center. Transfer to a wire rack and allow pie to cool to room temperature before serving.

10. Serve with freshly whipped cream.

Meet Ellary

Ellary Draper learned to cook and bake as a child and teenager from her family in the Washington, DC area. She enjoys reading about food, ingredients, and different cooking techniques to be inspired in the kitchen. When not cooking, Ellary is an associate professor of music therapy at The University of Alabama.

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