Calley’s Sweet Potato Pie
Gina: Calley Anderson is Shelbi’s best friend, in large part because Belinda Anderson, Calley’s mother, is my best friend. Calley is an excellent student but the girl is a chef at heart. Baking is her first love, and one day Calley made this sweet potato pie for our family, and it knocked me off my feet. The filling relies on two sweeteners, brown sugar and maple sugar, for an incredible flavor. Warm spices and pure vanilla create an intoxicating perfume, and fresh lemon juice helps cut the sweetness and balance the flavors. So, I swallowed my pride (along with another slice of pie) and asked her for the recipe. Here I am, an adult asking my daughter’s friend for a recipe—pretty funny, huh?
Recipe information
Yield
makes one 9-inch pie
Ingredients
Filling
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare the dough as directed on page 210.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 3
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to an 11-inch round about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie dish, and trim the overhang to 3/4 inch; fold the overhang under itself and crimp decoratively. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the pie shell all over, and refrigerate until firm.
Step 4
Remove the pie shell from the fridge, line with foil, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the shell for about 20 minutes, or until lightly golden around the edges. Remove the foil and the weights, and bake for about 12 minutes longer, or until the pie shell is golden brown and cooked on the bottom (cover the rim of the pie shell with foil if it starts to get too brown). Remove the pie shell from the oven and cool completely on a baking rack. Leave the oven on.
Step 5
Prick the sweet potatoes with a paring knife, and bake them for 1 hour, or until tender; cool slightly. Slit the skins, and scoop the potato flesh into a bowl. Use a whisk to mash until smooth. Whisk in the cream, brown sugar, maple syrup, eggs, butter, vanilla, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger, and scrape the filling into the pie shell.
Step 6
Bake the pie for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350°F, and continue to bake for about 40 minutes longer, or until the filling is set. Transfer the pie to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
