Sweet Potato Tart

Note: read through the entire recipe before you start. Measure all of your ingredients and lay them out. Have your liquids, including eggs, at room temperature.  You can use a stand mixer (my preference), hand mixer, food processor, or a potato masher, depending on how patient you are and how strong your arms are. Don’t use a whisk because the potato mixture is too heavy. Use a springform pan for this, a 9 inch pan is about right. You also need foil and extra butter for the pan. This makes a large crustless tart and you might have a little filling left over! If so, you can put it in a small baking dish and bake it along with the tart.

Ingredients:

4.5 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes

1 cup really good high-fat unsalted butter, melted, plus a bit more to coat the pan

5 large eggs

1 can condensed milk (12 oz)

1 cup granulated white sugar (or baking sugar substitute)

1 cup light or dark brown sugar (dark is better)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Cinnamon

Nutmeg

1t vanilla paste or pure vanilla extract

1T bourbon (optional, a sweeter bourbon or rye is better)

1 t lemon extract or small (tiny) pinch freshly grated lemon peel (optional but really adds something)

Tiny pinch salt

This is what I use in place of white sugar. I never use it alone, but it does well in combination with other real sugars.

Instructions:

Prepare sweet potatoes. You can boil them, but baking gives a better flavor. So, scrub your potatoes and dry them with a towel. Prick them all over with a fork. You are not trying to do major damage, just light pricks to release the steam as they bake. Rub the clean, pricked potatoes with a little cooking oil, just a little. Put them on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper and bake at 425F for about an hour for large potatoes, 45 minutes for medium-sized ones. You want to cook them until they are tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. OR you can microwave them, (just not on a metal baking sheet) and using the potato setting. You might have to give them an extra minute or so if they are large. Peel them and mash the pulp. Measure to be sure you have about 4.5 cups of sweet potato.

Note: if you are using a stand mixer or food processor, process the potatoes, then measure. If you are mashing by hand, check for strings and mash, then measure. Be sure to cut out any dark spots.

  1. Prepare your pan. Take a 9- or 10-inch springform pan and heavily coat the bottom and sides with melted butter or unflavored vegetable oil (not olive or avocado, instead canola or generic vegetable oil. No cooking spray, either.) Take a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap it around the outside of the pan to ensure that there are no leaks and no water gets in. The foil should come up to the rim of the pan, but no higher.
  2. Making the bain marie.  Take a larger baking pan that will hold the springform pan without touching the sides. I use a 9×13 pan. Put the spring form pan, wrapped in foil covering the outside of the bottom and coming up the sides, into the larger pan. Pour boiling water into the big baking pan so the springform pan is surrounded by water about halfway up the sides, but not so much that you can’t safely pick it up and put it in the oven. Do this last part just before you put the pan in the oven.
  3. Mixing eggs and butter. Put the measured potato back in the bowl and add the melted butter. Let it mix a while, say 3 minutes or so, then add the eggs. (Crack the eggs in a bowl beforehand, so you don’t risk getting shells into your pie.) Let that mix until completely incorporated.
  4. Sifting dry ingredients. I like to sift the flour with the salt and dry spices, then add it to the potato mixture. You don’t have to do that. It’s just something I do.
  5. Adding other wet and dry ingredients. Add the milk, sugars, flavorings, salt, spices, and flour, mixing until each is incorporated. Decide how much cinnamon and nutmeg you want. Most people would use a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon and about half as much nutmeg. Some people add ginger or cardamon. If you like that, use about a teaspoon of either, but not more than that. Mix completely and use a spatula to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl.
  6. Baking the tart. Ladle the filling carefully into the springform pan. You should have enough to fill the pan about ¾ of the way. Carefully put the pan, in its water bath, into the oven. Bake at 325F for about 75 minutes but start looking at it after an hour. It will puff up like a soufflé and fall as it cools. If it jiggles a tiny bit in the center and a knife inserted near the edge comes out clean, it is probably done. If you use an instant-read thermometer, it should read 175F.
  7. Let your pie cool for at least 3-4 hours. Otherwise, you may not get the perfect slices you want. It will still taste good but be a hot mess in terms of looks.

Why use a water bath? Water baths prevent cracking. Think about the velvety texture of a perfect cheesecake. That’s what you’re looking for here. Smooth and velvety. If you don’t want to do all of that, you can use a pie crust and just bake it like a regular pie. No water bath. If you don’t overbake, it should be fine.

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