Uncle Richard’s sweet potato pie
In times like these, I’m in need of some serious comfort. I work in magazines and it’s very grim seeing your industry on a downhill slide. Not a day goes by that I don’t hear about a spate of media-industry lay-offs or a publication closing. So to assuage my fears, I’ve been eating lots of pie. Sweet potato pie.
Sweet potato pie is always on our Thanksgiving table—my family prefers it to pumpkin pie, though the two are similar in texture and taste. But sweet potatoes give the custard a bit more heft and are, as the name implies, more naturally sweet than pumpkins.
I asked my grandma for the family recipe but she pointed me in the direction of my Uncle Richard. “Richard makes the best sweet potato pie,” she said. And after years of eating it, I have to agree that indeed he does.
Richard loves his pies, and when my brother got married in September my uncle helped coordinate the marathon pie-baking party that side of the family held. See, my brother had decided that instead of a groom’s cake he wanted a table filled with pies. And so my family’s repertoire was on full display—chocolate, chess, apple, peanut butter and, of course, Uncle Richard’s sweet potato.
When you make a sweet potato pie, the most important thing is the spice. Richard uses the usual suspects such as cinnamon and nutmeg. But he also adds ginger and cloves, which I think add a bit of heat and zing.
Because of obligations, I’m not going to the farm this Thanksgiving; I’ll miss sharing the day with my family. But still, I am so very thankful for all that I have—I am beyond blessed and feel very, very fortunate.
My heart, however, goes out to those who have lost their jobs. I know that a pie won’t put food on the table or a roof over your head, but perhaps, in that moment when you take a bite, it’ll provide a little bit of sweet soft comfort.
What pies are you making for Thanksgiving?
Uncle Richard’s sweet potato pie
Ingredients
Ingredients for the pie:
- 1 1/2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes or 1 (15-ounce) can mashed sweet potatoes
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- 2 unbaked 9-inch pie shells
Ingredients for the ginger whipped cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 teaspoon of ground ginger
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- In a blender, add the sweet potato, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and evaporated milk. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture evenly into the pie shells and bake uncovered for 55 minutes.
- Meanwhile, to make the ginger whipped cream, in a chilled bowl, beat the cream, honey, and ginger with a mixer, whisk or egg beater until soft peaks form.
We’re having chocolate around here. No one “gets” pumpkin pie in France, but they do seem to like chocolate.
Twist my arm!
Silly question… I don’t think I’ve ever actually made a pie before (I mean, I used to help my nana when I was little, but nothing too involved.) Do you prebake your grandma’s pie crust before pouring in the filling?
I got a kick out of what you said about your brother wanting a table full of pies instead of a groom’s cake! That sounds like my husband’s side of the family—personally, I love to bake cakes, cookies, brownies, etc. but am not much of a pie maker. On the other hand, my Mother-in-law and Sisters-in-law are pie-makers! They make every kind of pie you can imagine for the holidays. I’ll never forget the first holiday I celebrated with them! It is so yummy! They have strawberry-ruhbarb pie, apple-ruhbarb pie, pecan pie, pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, various chess pies, lemon pie, coconut pie, chocolate pie, etc., etc. What a feast! Patti
I have gained a lot of weight since I started reading your blog…thanks for all the wonderful recipes.
p.s. A pie crust made with milk and oil? Really? It comes out good? Can you sense I’m a bit skeptical to try this?
I normally bake a chocolate chile cake for Thanksgiving but this year I was thinking of having a go at my mother’s fudge pie recipe. Of course pecan pies made with pecans from my grandparents’ pecan trees was a family staple for quite some time and my father is partial to apricot pies so we usually have one of those around this time of year. I’ve been wanting to try a sweet potato pie so maybe I’ll try your recipe and leave the fudge pie for Christmas.