American Pie: Pure sweet potato magic in buttery pastry

Americans celebrate Christmas in style with a vast spread of delicious food and I love how their pie tradition is so strong.

Not just Apple Pie but Pumpkin Pie, Chess Pie, Brown Butter Pie, Cream Pie, Pecan Pie and molasses-filled Shoofly Pie.

I would love to see such a strong pie game over here.

We have apple, rhubarb and blackberry but we’ve never really embraced sugar the way our American cousins have.

Like us, the American Christmas table has turkey, stuffing and roast vegetables. Then there is Sweet Potato Casserole topped with marshmallows.

I've been amazed by this dish since I was little and each year I vow that I'm going to make a gaudy Sweet Potato Casserole for the Christmas table – complete with a layer of sugary marshmallow. I just can't though. It looks like something from the movie Elf.

I can’t bring myself to put marshmallows all over a savoury dish and serve it up alongside turkey and sprouts. So, I’ve just made a dessert version, almost like a pumpkin pie.

Maple-kissed

Instead, I’ve made much the same maple-kissed, cinnamon-laced filling as the traditional casserole would have – but I’ve put it all in a pastry shell and topped it with homemade billowy clouds of meringue that are crunchy on the outside and pure marshmallow fluff inside.

I think, after tasting how delicious this combination is that I’m ready to buy some marshmallows and make the real deal.

To ensure the perfect meringue, I usually fill the mixing bowl with boiling water and leave it to warm for a while.

Then, I dry the bowl and polish with a little vinegar so it’s spotlessly clean. These simple steps always ensure the most airy meringue.

For ease, I’ve suggested using a blind baked pastry case for this dish.

You can of course use your own homemade pastry – or buy some good quality butter-based pastry and blind bake it first, so it has a crisp solid base. You can bake the sweet potatoes the day before as they keep well in the fridge.

Serve this pie with a dollop of cold, softly whipped cream and watch everyone sink into their seats and smile as they taste it.

Pure magic encased in buttery pastry.

Sweet Potato Pie – serves 8-10

1 x 10” pastry case, blind baked

For the filling:

900g sweet potatoes

85g light muscovado sugar

60ml maple syrup

1 tsp crystallised stem ginger

½ tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch of salt

4 x eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

250ml cream

For the meringue:

100g caster sugar

2 egg whites

1 tsp cornflour

(double this mix if you want more of a voluminous meringue)

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C. Place the whole sweet potatoes on a tray lined with baking paper. Bake for up to an hour until completely tender.

Leave to cool then scoop out the insides and place in the bowl of a food processor, along with the remaining filling ingredients.

Blitz till it forms a smooth puree.

Pour the mixture into the blind baked pastry case. Bake for 35 minutes until just set but still has a slight wobble. Leave to cool a little, while you whip up the meringue.

In a spotlessly clean bowl, beat the egg whites with the caster sugar.

Add 1tsp cornflour

Whisk till stiff peaks form. Pipe or swirl the meringue onto the top of the pie and return to the oven for a further 15 minutes until the meringue is crisp and lightly coloured.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool and set, for a further ½-1 hour before slicing.