We love how this delicious recipe takes a standard Thanksgiving side dish–sweet-potato casserole with marshmallow topping–and turns it into dessert (where, dare we say, it might belong). In this case, the marshmallow-esque meringue serves to lighten the sweet-potato filling, giving it a smooth, airy texture.
Yield:
8-10 servingsIngredients
1 pound sweet potatoes, cooked
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, melted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 teaspoons bourbon
Flour (for work surface)
Single-Crust Pastry Dough (see accompanying recipe)
2 large egg whites
Whipped cream
Instructions
First, prepare the filling: Pass cooked sweet potatoes through a sieve to remove any lumps, and mix well with melted butter, 1/2 cup sugar, milk, egg yolks, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and bourbon. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°. On a well-floured surface, roll Single-Crust Pastry Dough out to a 13-inch circle, working from the center and turning dough as you go to prevent sticking. Transfer to a 10-inch deep-dish pie plate, tuck dough into corners, and drape extra over sides.
In the bowl of a standing mixer with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites to soft peaks. With mixer running, gradually add remaining sugar in a slow stream, whisking until mixture thickens, looks glossy, and holds medium peaks.
Fold meringue mixture into sweet-potato mixture and pour into piecrust. Crimp crust edges. Bake until custard sets and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-55 minutes. Serve warm, with whipped cream.
Single-Crust Pastry Dough
Ingredients
2-1/4 cups pastry flour or all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface
1/4 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
6-8 tablespoons cold milk
1 large egg
Instructions
In a medium-size bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Sprinkle butter over flour mixture and use your fingers to work it in (rub your thumb against your fingertips, smearing butter as you do). Stop when mixture looks like coarse cornmeal, with some larger bits of butter remaining.
Stir 6 tablespoons milk with egg. Sprinkle on top of flour/butter mixture and stir with a fork until dough begins to come together. If needed, add more milk, a tablespoon at a time.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead three times, or just enough to make a cohesive dough–don’t overmix! Gather into a ball, press into a disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Yield: 1 dough disk
