Sweet Potato Pie

Okay it’s not a pie, it’s a tart…. but I think sweet potato pie sounds better!

A thoroughly different use for Sweet Potato and a tough one to describe, think of the filling as a cross between cheesecake and a custard tart. However you’d describe it, it’s blooming lovely!

Makes 1 x deep 8″ Tart

Ingredients:

Pastry

225g plain flour

50g icing sugar

125g butter, cold

1 medium egg

20ml water (approx)

Filling

750g sweet potatoes (skin on, uncooked weight)

100g butter, softened

200g caster sugar

235ml single cream

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

To serve (optional)

Whipped double cream

Start by making the pastry, add the flour and icing sugar to the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine them evenly.

Add the cubed butter and run the processor until the butter has been completely rubbed into the dry mixture/

With the processor running add one medium egg and then just enough water so that the pastry will come together in a dough.

Wrap the pastry in clingfilm and pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

Prepare a deep loose based flan or tart tin by greasing well.

Roll out the pastry on your worksurface, lightly floured.

Line the tin with the pastry and trim away any excess.

I always use up excess pastry by throwing together some jam tarts in a bun tin, you can bake them straight away and eat them up too – no-one will know you ever made them!

Chill the lined tart case in the fridge once more until firm, this will help to stop the pastry from shrinking when you bake it.

Preheat the oven to 180c (fan)/190c/Gas Mark 5.

Prick the base of the pastry case with a form and line with baking paper. I’m using one of those round paper cake liners which is perfect for the job, you can fold them back and protect the edge of the pastry from browning too much (and I picked them up in the £ shop too!)

Fill with baking beans or dried rice and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Once time is up remove the baking beans and paper lining and return to the oven for a further 10 minutes until the base is fully cooked through and the case is lightly golden.

Set to one side whilst you make the filling.

Turn down the oven to 130c (fan), 150c, Gas Mark 2-3.

Prepare the sweet potatoes by peeling and cutting into small chunks. Boil in a pan of water until soft and fully cooked (5-10 mins).

Drain away the cooking water and allow the sweet potato to cool to just lukewarm.

Pink Whisk Tip – Don’t prepare the sweet potato the night before and store in the fridge as it takes on a really grainy texture and will ruin your tart, freshly cooked sweet potato is the way to go!

Place the cooled sweet potato in a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer if using. Add the butter and mash well to a pulp. Remove any large fibrous bits if there are any.

Add the cream, sugar eggs and vanilla and beat well to combine.

Carefully pour the filling into the pastry case. It depends how deep your case is whether you’ll have any left over, if you do bake the filling in small ramekins at the same time as the tart.

Bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes until the mixture has just set in the middle. It will be a little puffy when it comes out but will drop back down on cooling.