Now Baking: Sweet Potato Pudding Pie
Tis the season for all things sweet potato! Recipe developer Mary-Frances Heck has a new collection of recipes out that celebrate this versatile tuber. Whether you're gearing up for holiday feasts and need a new go-to spud preparation or simply craving a hefty dose of vitamin A, Sweet Potatoes has an answer for you. This sweet potato pudding pie will rival even the pumpkin-spiciest dessert.
Good ol' black-bottom pudding pie: Make one batch of pudding, then divide it and mix in two different flavors, here chocolate and sweet potato. Layer it all in a gingersnap crust (although you can cheat with a store-bought chocolate or graham cracker crust) and top with whipped cream. This pie is just the thing to amp up your Thanksgiving spread.
- 1 1/2 cups finely crushed gingersnap cookies
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 1 cup Sweet Potato Puree
- 2 cups whipped cream
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Dump the gingersnap crumbs and salt into a 9-inch pie plate. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumbs; then use a fork to work the butter into the crumbs until they are uniformly moist. Use the bottom of a glass or the back of a large spoon to pack the crumbs onto the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Bake the crust until firm, about 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
- In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and ¼ cup of the sugar.
- In a small saucepan set over medium-high heat, whisk together the remaining ¼ cup sugar, the milk, and cornstarch. Cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and, while whisking, gradually pour half of the thickened milk into the egg yolk mixture. Pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk and whisk to combine. Set the pan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the pudding boils and becomes very thick, about 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cream cheese and rum.
- Place the chocolate in a small bowl and add ¾ cup of the pudding base. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Pour the chocolate pudding into the pie shell and chill until set, about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, stir the sweet potato puree into the remaining pudding base. Cover and chill until the chocolate layer of the pie is set; then gently spread the sweet potato pudding over the chocolate layer. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and preferably overnight.
- Top with whipped cream just before serving.