This pie begins in a total fail. It ends in triumph.
I forgot to put the sweet potato into this sweet potato pie. I had prepared the sweet potatoes the day before I baked the pie. I was thinking ahead and using my time wisely. Good on me. I was trying to impress Karen. I’ve got this pie under control, dear. Completely under control.
I had wanted to make a pie from the infamous Four & Twenty Blackbirds in Brooklyn. They are pie masters, and if I was going to make anyone’s pie, a sweet potato pie, it had to be theirs. Bourbon is used liberally in this pie, as it should be used in most things. When I went to Gary’s Wine in Madison to get some bourbon, the guy on the floor asked me what I was making (I had grilled him about small-batch vs. big label bourbon, the differences in quality, and taste). When I told him it was for a bourbon sweet potato pie, he stood very still, looked a bit into the distance, and said, “Oh. Wow. That sounds incredible.
As I was cleaning up the kitchen, my eye spied a medium-sized bowl. Wait, why is that bowl sitting there? That’s the sweet potato bowl. And there they sat, their orange surfaces turning brown, slowly, as if they knew they’d been left behind.
There were expletives. The kids were taking naps. So there were expletives.
Grabbing the hot pads, I flew to the oven, undid the safety latch, and saw the beautiful crust being swallowed up by the bourbon sugar pond in the middle. Game over, pie crust.
Pie fail.
Until.
Until I remembered I had made extra pie crust from Melissa Clark. You know, that perfect pie crust? With the duck fat?
Even in failure, I still had this situation under control. I poured the bourbon sugar pond into the sweet potatoes, threw away the now-soggy pie crust, and began rolling out Melissa’s crust. It behaved perfectly like it had heard the expletives from inside the refrigerator.
Par-baked it just as instructed in the Four & Twenty Blackbird recipe. I whisked together the sweet potatoes with the bourbon and sugar (which is noticeably thicker with sweet potatoes included, go figure).
After that adventure in failure, I needed more bourbon. So I made some bourbon whipped cream (cream whipped without sugar, some bourbon splashed in). And that was a great touch.
But I needed more bourbon.
I looked at Karen and said, “I want to dip this in warm bourbon.” Which has to make a wife proud. A bit of bourbon in a small bowl. Ten seconds in the microwave. A dip into the rich brown liquid with the tip of the pie, then a plunge into the whipped bourbon cream.
Ingredients
For the Filling:
1 9-inch pie crust Store-bought or your favorite recipe (try my Whole Wheat Pie Crust)
2 large sweet potatoes
3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter (about 1/2 stick)
1 1/4 cups 2% evaporated milk, divided (about 10 ounces)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon bourbon or 2 additional teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes optional, for serving
For the Whipped Cream:
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow cream for marshmallow variation only
Instructions
Prepare and roll out the pie crust. Transfer it to a standard 9-inch pie dish. Trim the edges and fold them under themselves before crimping with your fingers or a fork. Cover the crust with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
To prepare the filling, scrub and peel the sweet potatoes. Then, dice into large, 3-inch chunks. Place chunks in a large pot and cover with cool water. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Let simmer until the potatoes are tender and pierce easily with a thin knife, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes into a colander, transfer back into the pot, and mash. Measure out 2 cups, which is the amount that you need for the pie, and reserve any extra for another recipe.
To the same pot, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, salt, butter, and 5 ounces (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) of evaporated milk. Place the pot on the stove and cook on low for about 5 minutes, mashing the potatoes further as they cook.
To make the silkiest possible pie, use an immersion blender to puree until totally smooth; you may also transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. Once the mixture is smooth and smells very fragrant, remove from the heat and let cool in the pot.
While the sweet potato mixture cools, whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) of evaporated milk, granulated sugar, eggs, bourbon, and vanilla extract, in a separate bowl until totally smooth.
Carefully pour the egg mixture into the warm sweet potato mixture and stir until evenly and smoothly combined.
Remove the crust from the refrigerator, pour the prepared filling into the pie crust, and then gently place the pie dish on a baking sheet. Bake the pie for 10 minutes at 375 degrees F, then reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and continue baking until cooked through; about 50 minutes. Check the pie periodically. If the crust is browning more quickly than you would like, shield it, then continue baking as directed. When the pie is ready, remove, and let cool completely.*