For our version of Sweet Potato Pie we added browned butter (my favorite fall flavor) as well as Frangelico, which brings nutty flavor and highlights the browned butter and crunchy hazelnuts on top. For this blog recipe we’ve replaced the piped and torched meringue on top of the pie that we do in the Bakery with toasted marshmallows for ease. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!
Sweet Potato Pie:
- 1 par-baked 8-inch pie shell*
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- 5 Tbsp. butter
- 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
- 5 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups crème fraîche, sour cream or Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp. orange zest
- 3 Tbsp. Frangelico liqueur
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp. ginger
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- mini marshmallows & toasted hazelnuts, for garnish
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake sweet potatoes until fork-tender. Melt butter over medium heat, stirring often until it turns dark golden brown and smells nutty, 5-8 minutes. (Note: be careful not to burn!) Cool completely.
Scrape out the flesh from the sweet potatoes and place in a food processor with browned butter, dark brown sugar, eggs, crème fraîche (or sour cream or Greek yogurt), orange zest, Frangelico, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and kosher salt. Process until very smooth. Scrape down sides and blend again.
Add filling to par-baked 8-inch pie shell and bake at 350°F until edges of filling have puffed and the center jiggles slightly, 35-45 mins. Center temperature should read 165°F.
Cool at room temperature. Just before serving, top with mini marshmallows and quickly broil until golden brown and toasty. Top with toasted hazelnuts for an added crunch.
* To par-bake a pie shell, roll out homemade crust and place in an 8-inch pie pan. Use a fork or your fingers to create a decorative fluting or edge. Freeze crust for 60 minutes. NOTE: If using premade refrigerated pie dough skip these instructions and follow the instructions on the package for par-baking or blind baking your crust for a pie that will be further baked.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line crust with parchment paper and fill with dry beans, raw rice or pie weights. Bake for about 15 minutes until edges of crust are very lightly browned. Remove parchment and weights and set aside. Poke bottom of crust a few times with a fork. Return to oven (without parchment and weights) and bake for another 5 minutes until bottom crust is just starting to brown. Cool.
