Sweet Potato Pie with Orange Meringue

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Have you had Sweet Potato Pie?  I really enjoy it and every time I make it, I wonder why I don’t make it more.  Do you have foods like that?  Sweet potato pie is similar to pumpkin, but I like it better.  It’s sweeter and has a more distinct flavor and a creaminess that pumpkin just can’t match.

I’ve been thinking that a sweet potato pie with a meringue topping would be quite tasty (kind of like sweet potatoes with marshmallows at Thanksgiving, ya know?).  I’ve tried several iterations of this pie and feel like this combo is the best.  There’s orange in the meringue that adds a nice tang and cinnamon in the crust which adds a comforting warmth.

Let’s get to the pie!

You’ll start by making the sweet potato filling.  Joy the Baker has a tasty sweet potato pie recipe so I used her filling recipe as a starting point and modified the spices slightly. First get a large pot of water boiling.  While that’s heating up, you’ll cut up your sweet potatoes into large chunks.  They are going to get mashed so they don’t need to look pretty, just try to get them all the same size. Put the sweet potato chunks in the boiling water and cook 20-25 minutes or until they are fork tender.

Strain the sweet potatoes and put them into a large bowl.  Next you’ll mash them up.  We have an immersion blender so I used that and it worked pretty well.  You can also just use a potato masher or a fork to get all the lumps out.

Measure out 2 cups of the mashed sweet potato and put it in a medium saucepan.  Now you’ll add half of the evaporated milk, brown sugar, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter.

Cook all of that over medium heat until the butter melts and it starts to bubble, about 5 minutes.  It will smell amazing! Take it off the heat and let it cool.  You can also put it in the fridge at this point and make the rest the next day.

While the filling mixture is cooling, you’ll make the crust.  I used my tried and true pie crust recipe and just added cinnamon.  Start by mixing together the flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.

Then cut in the shortening and chunks of butter with a pastry blender or your hands until the dough is the size of peas or smaller.

Now add about 1/2 cup of the cold water to start with and mix it in.  Add a little more water at a time until the dough just sticks together. Then cover the bowl or wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge until you’re ready for it.

Once the sweet potato mixture is cool, get out a large bowl and preheat your oven.  Crack the eggs in it and whisk them until they’re broken up.  Now whisk in the rest of the evaporated milk, sugar, vanilla and sweet potato mixture. Set that aside.

Ok, now back to the dough!  Take it out of the fridge and roll it out to about 1/4″ thick on a floured surface.  Roll the dough over your rolling pin to transport it to your pie dish. Now unroll your dough into the pie dish, making sure it gets all the way to the edges.  We’ll trim it in a minute. If you have extra dough, you can use cookie cutters to cut out some shapes and bake off some pie crust “cookies”.

 

Give your filling a final whisk and pour it into the dough.  Trim the edges of the dough and crimp or fold over the crust.  I didn’t get real fancy here since the meringue will cover the crust slightly, but that’s your call.

Put a rack on the lower third of the oven and put your pie in.  Bake 60-70 minutes, or until the filling is only slightly jiggly in the very center.

While the pie is baking put the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (or the bowl you’ll be using if a hand mixer will be doing the beating).  The egg whites will beat up fluffier if they aren’t totally chilled.

As soon as the pie is out of the oven, you’ll make the meringue.  You want to do this right away, so that you can put the meringue on top of the pie while it’s still hot.  This will help the meringue stick to the pie.  If you’re using the oven to brown the meringue, move a rack to the upper third and turn your broiler on. Ok, to make the meringue, add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and whip on high until soft peaks form.  The cream of tartar will help stabilize the meringue and make it thicker.  You can find it in the baking aisle at the grocery store, most likely next to leavening agents like baking soda or with the spices.

 

Now add the sugar one tablespoon at a time, while the mixer is on.  Continue whisking until stiff peaks form (in other words, when you lift the beater out and the egg whites stand up). Mix in the orange zest.

 

Now top the pie.  You can spread the meringue on evenly or use a piping bag.  I chose to use a piping bag with a star tip to give it a little extra flair.

Once all of the meringue is on the pie it’s time to brown it.  You can put it under the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until it’s golden brown on top.  If you’re using a kitchen torch, turn on a medium flame and slowly skim it over the meringue until it is golden brown.

Let the pie cool at least an hour and a half before serving. This pie slices beautifully so you can see the defined layers of crust, filling and meringue- so satisfying!

Enjoy!