NYTimes: roasted sweet potato pie/flan

12 years ago

A pie with a crust (can be gluten-free; up to you) - or a pseudo-flan without a crust if you want to save some time. I haven't tried this yet, but Martha Rose Shulman's recipes are generally reliable and very good. And it's always good to have the full nutritional info she includes, too:

Roasted Sweet Potato Pie or Flan
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN NY Times Nov 11, 2013
Good without a crust or with one. It's not a flan in the traditional sense. It's irresistibly creamy. If you use 2 eggs instead of 3 (see variation) the texture will be smoother but it won't slice as neatly.

2 large sweet potatoes, or enough for 1-1/2 cups pureed roasted sweet potatoes
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup applesauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 cup mild honey, such as clover
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons drained yogurt or creme fraiche
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 dessert pastry crust, fully baked and cooled (optional; it's a flan if you don't use a crust)

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Pierce the sweet potatoes in several places with the tip of a paring knife. Place on the baking sheet and bake 40 to 50 minutes, until soft and oozing. Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle, peel and place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade (you can also blend the mixture with a hand blender). Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. If not using a crust, butter a round 9-inch baking dish.

2. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of sweet potato puree (store any extra puree in the refrigerator and enjoy with a meal). Place the puree in the food processor, or in a bowl if using a hand blender, add the remaining ingredients (except the crust) and blend until smooth and creamy. Scrape into the baking dish or the crust. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until set. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Yield: 1 pie or flan, serving 8 to 12

Advance preparation: This tastes even better the day after it's made. The roasted sweet potatoes will keep for 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator. When you blend them, include any of the syrup that has oozed out.

Variation: Use 2 eggs for a creamier flan.

Nutritional information per serving (8 servings): 345 calories; 18 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 140 milligrams cholesterol; 40 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 304 milligrams sodium; 8 grams protein

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Comments (3)

EATREALFOOD
12 years ago
My favorite sweet potato pie of all time...

From The Huffington Post/LIZ SMITH/11/20/2012
"So, once again, we will reprint an alternative, the famous Pink Teacup cafÃÂ©'s recipe for a dessert that looks just about the same as pumpkin. At the Teacup, they always offered sweet potato pie and here is the recipe:"

2 lbs. yams
ÃÂ½ cup of butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
ÃÂ¼ teaspoon ginger
ÃÂ½ teaspoon salt
ÃÂ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs, separated
ÃÂ½ cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
ÃÂ½ cup of evaporated milk

Peel and boil yams until mashable. Add butter, spices, salt, sugar to hot yams. Beat until light and smooth.
Beat egg yolks until light and add to mixture.
Stir in orange juice, orange rind and milk. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold in.
Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell. Preheat oven to 350 and bake 35 minutes or until the pie puffs up and is firm in the middle. Cool on a rack.
Add whipped cream.

"Then, dig in, pilgrims! You'll have something that resembles pumpkin pie but is a thousand times better tasting and easy to make once you assemble the ingredients. Is it fattening? Sure, but Thanksgiving only comes once a year."

"I have been giving this recipe annually for 50 years. People stop me on the streets of New York and ask me for it or about it. So, consider this a public service. And I've given you a few days time to work on this dessert, which is really easy to concoct even if you are not a chef."

I never did make it to the Pink Tea Cup before it closed...wish I had.
Olychick
12 years ago
In the Shulman recipe, are the sweet potatoes the light yellow sweet potatoes or the darker "yam" sweet potatoes? I wish more recipes clarified that, as I pretty much always use yams but never know if there are regional differences when referring to sweet potatoes in recipes.
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jakkom
Original Author
12 years ago
olychick, my guess is Ms. Shulman is referring to the darker "yam" potatoes. Most urban folks aren't as fond of the less sweet, lighter potatoes. They don't sell well here in the SF Bay Area, at least.

NYTimes: roasted sweet potato pie/flan

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EATREALFOOD

Olychick

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jakkom
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NYTimes: roasted sweet potato pie/flan

Comments (3)

EATREALFOOD

Olychick

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jakkomOriginal Author

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jakkom
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