Japanese Sweet Potato Pie/Tart

How exciting to be posting for the FIRST time ever on Tarts And Stuff :D Nicolette and I have been talking about creating a food blog for months and we've finally done it! A lot of effort was put into it so I hope you guys will support us~

Speaking of first times, I've never baked a Sweet Potato Pie until now! In fact, the first Sweet Potato Pie I'm tasting is the first Sweet Potato Pie I'm baking. Thanks to beginner's luck, the pie turned out pretty good! :) Though there were some mishaps along the way, but I guess that's hard to avoid. Haha. *Self consolation*

Now on to the pie/tart itself! I don't know how a Sweet Potato Pie is supposed to taste like, but I'd say this tastes good to me! :) The crust added a nice crunch to the custard filling which was really creamy and all sweet-potato-like (no other way I can say this). I'd still like to try the authentic version some day though!

However, the next time I make this, I'll definitely use another pie crust recipe (though you can still give this crust a try, it's quite good). Although it was sweet, buttery, crumbly and really easy, it stuck to the foil when I was blind baking! So I guess it turned out not so much rustic, but ugly. Haha. Also, I highly suggest using a pie plate cause mine is a tart pan, so the end result was more of a tart and less of a pie, which explains why I'm using these 2 words interchangeably here. (The baking world is so confusing sometimes, I hardly ever get it.)

Trying to act all professional here! I hear you scoffing but hey, all I have for a camera is the iPhone 4. :( I tried!! I must say the sweet potatoes look better than the tart itself but... It just doesn't taste as good, no no. ;D (Brown is beautiful right?)

Nutmeg makes anything better. (Although I was lazy to grate any on the pie here) I liked this shot the best! Still much room for improvement, though! But hopefully Nic and I will learn more along the way and get better with every post.

Now on to the recipe, courtesy of Leite's Culinaria (aka my favourite website ever) ~

Japanese Sweet Potato Pie (Adapted from Cheryl Day and Griffith Day)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds (680g) Japanese Sweet Potatoes
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinammon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 recipe Shortcut Pie Crust (made with brown sugar and prebaked in a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate)
• Whipped cream (optional)
• Freshly grated nutmeg (optional)

Directions:

1. Steam the sweet potatoes until fork tender, about 35-45 minutes.
2. Using a food processor*, combine the cream, eggs and molasses with the sweet potatoes puree until smooth.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, spices and salt. Add the sweet potato mixture and stir until smooth.
4. Pour the filling into a pre-baked pie crust and bake the pie for 60-70* minutes, until the filling is firm around the edges but still jiggles slightly in the center when you gently shake the pie plate.The filling will continue to firm up as it cools. You may need to loosely cover the pie with foil after 50 minutes to prevent it from overbrowning. Let the pie cool completely before slicing and serving. 
5. The pie is best served the same day, but can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 3 days. If desired, heap the whipped cream on top and sprinkle with nutmeg. 

*If you do not have a food processor (which I used because I was lazy), please check out the instructions on the original post!

That's it for now! I hope you've enjoyed reading our posts and please look forward to more! We would also appreciate comments and constructive criticisms from everyone! :) Haha yeah, and if you're cool (you know you are), please say hi too! Just to let us know that people are reading (hopefully) ~~

See you again soon!

Nat