Forget pumpkin pie.
Pumpkins are late-comers, upstarts, and may only be forgiven their intrusion on the Thanksgiving sideboard in consideration of the sensible avoidance of unnecessary Halloween waste. You haven't truly experienced the sentimental—nay, religious—urge to participate in wholehearted Thanksgiving until you've tasted the true American original: the sweet potato pie.
The redoubtable Fannie Farmer has much of merit to say on the matter, but—given the lateness and attendant urgency of this post—she would surely excuse me if I rush to the deliciously inevitable conclusion:
Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients:
- Pastry dough for 9-inch tart (home-made lard dough works best, but Pillsbury makes a perfectly adequate frozen shell).
- 2 cups (1/2 l) mashed cooked sweet potatoes (see below).
- 2 eggs, well beaten.
- 1 1/4 cups (3 dl) milk.
- 3/4 cups (150 g) brown sugar (Ms. Farmer suggests the white; I presume to differ).
- 1/2 teaspoon salt.
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.
- 2 tablespoons rum.
- 4 tablespoons melted butter.
Preheat the oven to 425 F (220 C). Line a 9-inch pie pan with pastry dough. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bown and beat until smooth and well-blended. Pour into lined pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300 F (150 C) and bake for about 50 minutes or until the filling is firm.
Preparing the Potatoes
Boil the sweet potatoes in their skins for 30 min. Drain and rinse; peel with a sharp paring knife while still warm. Mash; for best results, use a potato ricer.
Serving Note
If you don't top this delicacy with real whipped cream, you defeat the purpose. Canned whipped cream isn't whipped; it's aerosolized, and you can absolutely tell the difference.
If you don't have an electric mixer, don't worry! If you chill your mixing bowl in the freezer for a few minutes before you start and add lots of sugar (about 1/2 cup per cup of whipping cream), a few minutes' vigorous work with a wire whisk will do the trick. Don't forget to add a big teaspoon of vanilla extract!
Happy Thanksgiving!