This is an old post from back in 2009 when I tried Ruth Reichl's sweet potato pie recipe and dropped it off at a school event without even tasting it. I didn't really like sweet potatoes at the time, and since it was for a teacher luncheon I couldn't just help myself to a slice. It was a bold move making a new recipe and sending it off, but this one got rave reviews for YEARS after it made its debut at my daughter's school. Thanks, Ruth!
I sure miss the old days of Gourmet Magazine.
Comfort Me With Apples Sweet Potato Pie
Yesterday I made two pies for a school event -- one was pecan and the other was a sweet potato pie. The pies were to be turned in today, but I had a meeting and couldn’t drop them off myself. Todd had to do it for me, which means I don't know if they were any good -- especially the sweet potato because I used a recipe I'd never made, which in hindsight was kind of a bold move.
So without having tasted the pie, I can tell you it baked up very smooth, didn’t call for much sugar (a problem with some sweet potato pie recipes) and had some melted butter in the filling to round everything out. And finally, the source of the recipe is Ruth Reichl’s book Comfort me with Apples which in itself is comforting since all of RR’s recipes are good.
Recipe
Ruth Reichl's Sweet Potato Pie
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes about 1 ¼ pounds
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ cup sugar
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon dark rum
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork and roast them on a baking sheet until very tender, about 70 minutes.
- When ready to bake the pie, preheat the oven to 400°F. Set a rimmed baking sheet in the oven to preheat along with the oven.
- Remove the skin from the potatoes and put them in a mixing bowl. Mash very well with a potato masher.
- In a saucepan, melt the butter. Add the sugar to the melted butter and stir to let it dissolve a bit.
- Add the butter & sugar mixture to the potatoes, followed by the milk and the eggs and beat with a whisk until smooth. Whisk in the remaining ingredients (the filling will be quite liquid) and pour into an unbaked pie shell.
- Carefully transfer the pie to the heated shallow baking sheet and bake on the bottom rack of the oven until the filling is just set, about 40 minutes. Transfer the pie to a rack to cool.
joan says
I haven't heard of Whip It until I read about it here....I 'll be on the lookout for it. Rose Levy Beranbaum has instructions for how to stabilize whipped cream in The Cake Bible. One recipe calls for gelatin, and the other for cornstarch. I've tried the gelatin recipe, and it works pretty well, but after a day or two in the fridge, the texture gets a little weird. It's good, though, if you need to let a cake frosted with whipped cream sit out @ room temperature for a while.
Katrina says
Whip it, a whip it good....love that song.
You're really making me want pie. I've got to take a week off eating so much stuff! (Doesn't stop me from baking and giving it away though!) 😉
Martha in KS says
WHIP IT is made by Dr. Oetker, and can be found on Amazon.com. My TX aunt sent me some & said that her friend gets it at the PX. It contains corn starch & really works! http://www.oetker.us/en/product/baking-aids/baking-ingredients
Therese B. says
The pie looks awesome Anna. The whip it reminds me of an old DEVO song...Whip it.
I will have to check on that whip-it. Is it similiar to dream whip????
Tracy says
I love using Whip It! I'm in the Chicago area and I found it at Meijer... if anyone is looking for it!
I started using this a few years ago when I was in a Baking and Patisserie Class at my college and we use whip it in basically anything we made with whipped cream! I now use it at home mostly for things that will be sitting out at a party or if its a gift for someone!
-Tracy
PS - I'm a long time reader and a fist time commenter!! Keep up the good work with the blog!!
Shauna from Piece of Cake says
Delicious! I'm feeling the Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie from the Lee. Bros. cookbook this year myself. Thanks for reminding us about the Whip It! I always forget that exists and it is super useful.
Can't wait to see more holiday goodies from you!
Mimi says
Beautiful pie.
Mimi
Louise says
Pam, "Whip It" is in little packets like seed packets. They are bundled two or three in a plastic shrink wrap. ,,, This pie got good reviews on the Epicureous site. I'm glad it's posted so we can see it.
Sue says
Your pie does look beautiful. I hope you get some feedback about how it tasted. No doubt it's good. You just about can't go wrong with a Ruth Reichl recipe.
Anna says
I buy it at a speciality store called Specs, but a lot of grocery stores carry it in the baking aisle. World Market might sell it as well. If you can't find it at the store, try Amazon. I know it's on Amazon.
Pam says
Anna, it looks beautiful. Where do you find Whip It? I haven't seen that product, but since I didn't know it existed, maybe I just haven't noticed it in the stores.