Sweet potato pie simply means ” It’s Fall Y’all”. I am overjoyed that I made this pie with the marshmallow crème meringue as it is the most delicious use of sweet potatoes imaginable. I know, I know it’s just a pie but until you bake one and taste it you can’t conceive the luscious combination of sweet potatoes and marshmallow crème meringue. So I think you’d better get busy and whip up one of these pies while fall is here and the holidays are upon us!
This recipe is an all-round winner as it could be composed of the basic recipe you’ll find below and any number of other ingredients to suit your personal taste. The pie itself could have other spices, nuts, or fruit such as pineapple added. I appreciate the simplicity of the mashed sweet potato, the subtle citrus and the aromatic flavor of nutmeg. The marshmallow crème meringue is beautiful to look at as you whip it. If you remember to let your egg whites come to room temperature before you whip them your results will be more satisfactory than trying to whip cold egg whites. Mine whipped up beautifully and formed stiff peaks quickly. The masterpiece was created when the marshmallow crème began to be incorporated into the whipped egg whites. It became thick and glossy, beckoning me to get a big spoon and taste it before it ever met the pie. I did! I could have eaten enough to make myself ill but thought about that whole “don’t eat stuff with raw eggs in it” concept and piled it on the pie. It holds its own shoulders up all over the pie and browns up nicely. Why would we choose meringue without marshmallow crème ever again?
After filling the crust I had some sweet potato mixture left over…mmmm not one to waste food I filled a small Pyrex dish with the left over filling and threw it in the oven alongside the pie. It is heavenly all on its own, so if you don’t want to make pie just make and bake the filling. It will make a delicious side dish for your dinner. I’m having it for lunch along with a bowl of sautéed Brussel sprouts today, promising a healthy feel good afternoon.
Apparently, I am not totally speechless, but I wanted you to be inspired to try this delicious pie with its scrumptious meringue. It is a perfect meeting of crust, filling and topping. I do hope you will make one and have a mighty smile spread across your face.
November is the month of “Thanksgiving” I am thankful for family, friends, health and pie! What are you thankful for?
Ingredients
- Crust:
- 1/2 package of Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust
- Parchment paper
- 1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
- 1 tbsp. whipping cream or evaporated milk
- Filling:
- 1/4 cup of butter, melted
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups lightly packed, cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (about 2 1/2 lbs.)
- 1 cup half & half or evaporated milk
- 1 tbsp. lemon zest
- 3 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425*.
- Roll pie crust into a 13" circle and fit into a 9" pie plate; fold edges and crimp.
- Prick bottom and sides with a fork.
- Line pie crust with parchment paper; fill pie with dried beans or pie weights.
- Bake for 9 minutes.
- Remove weights and parchment paper.
- Whisk together egg yolk and cream; brush bottom and sides of crust with mixture.
- Bake 6-8 more minutes or until crust is golden.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350*.
- Stir together melted butter, sugar and next 2 ingredients in a large bowl until well blended.
- Add sweet potatoes and next 4 ingredients; stir until mixture is well blended.
- Pour sweet potato mixture in to prepared pie crust. (There may be extra filling-see above)
- Bake at 350* for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Shield with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning of crust, if necessary.
- Transfer pie to wire rack and cool completely, about an hour.
- Meringue
- Beat egg whites and next 2 ingredients at high-speed with a heavy-duty stand mixer until foamy. Gradually add sugar, 1 tbsp. at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.
- Beat one-fourth of the marshmallow crème into egg white mixture; repeat 3 times with remaining marshmallow crème, beating until smooth.
- Spread over pie using a spoon or off-set spatula.
- Bake at 400*for 6-7 minutes or until lightly browned.
OMG This pie is just to die for. Had my first piece last night and can’t wait for my next piece … well, maybe I can at least wait until after I’ve had lunch.
Keep up the good work!
“Eye’s roll back in the head” experience! YUM! This is my favorite way to get my veggies. Linda, I remember your mom had a killer pecan pie recipe and I can’t seem to find it in my recipe box. Please BLOG!
I’ll ask her about it. I have one with a little bourbon in it – delish!! So much to blog about – so little time. Yes, this pie is a great way to eat your vegetables so you need to make it!
Oh YUM! Hurry Thanksgiving!!