Sweet potato pie
A creamy sweet potato custard, scented with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, baked in a flaky crust. Sweeter and silkier than pumpkin pie, it is the signature dessert of festive tables.
A creamy sweet potato custard, scented with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, baked in a flaky crust. Sweeter and silkier than pumpkin pie, it is the signature dessert of festive tables.
Ah, my dears, here's the final note! When we've eaten well, laughed well, and they bring out this golden cinnamon pie and everyone falls silent for a second — that's my favorite moment. I made it in Brooklyn, I made it in Paris when I was homesick, and even in London where they didn't know sweet potatoes. A slice of this, a bit of cream on top, and you're back home, wherever you are.
- •Sweet potatoes — 2 or 3 (custard base)
- •Sugar and molasses — to taste (sweetness (molasses = Southern signature note))
- •Eggs — 2 (binder)
- •Butter — a good spoonful (creaminess)
- •Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger — to taste (signature spices)
- •Milk — as needed (binder)
- •Pie crust (shortcrust) — 1 bottom crust (support)
Sweet potato pie
A creamy sweet potato custard, scented with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, baked in a flaky crust. Sweeter and silkier than pumpkin pie, it is the signature dessert of festive tables.
Why this dish? Sweet potato pie closes grand African-American holiday meals, especially family gatherings. For Adelaide Hall, who carried her Harlem culture to Montmartre cabarets and London salons, this spiced, comforting dessert is a taste of home she took everywhere.
Ah, my dears, here's the final note! When we've eaten well, laughed well, and they bring out this golden cinnamon pie and everyone falls silent for a second — that's my favorite moment. I made it in Brooklyn, I made it in Paris when I was homesick, and even in London where they didn't know sweet potatoes. A slice of this, a bit of cream on top, and you're back home, wherever you are.
Ingredients (period version)
- Sweet potatoes — 2 or 3 (custard base)
- Sugar and molasses — to taste (sweetness (molasses = Southern signature note))
- Eggs — 2 (binder)
- Butter — a good spoonful (creaminess)
- Cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger — to taste (signature spices)
- Milk — as needed (binder)
- Pie crust (shortcrust) — 1 bottom crust (support)
Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes — 600 g (≈ 2 large) (base)
- Brown sugar — 120 g (sweetness)
- Molasses — 1 tbsp (depth, signature note)
- Eggs — 2 (binder)
- Melted butter — 40 g (creaminess)
- Evaporated milk or cream — 150 ml (creaminess)
- Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger — 1 tsp total (spices)
- Pie crust (shortcrust) — 1 bottom crust (≈ 24 cm) (support)
Method
- Cook sweet potatoes (baked or boiled) until tender, then peel and mash until smooth.
- Preheat oven to 180 °C and line a pie dish with the crust.
- Mix warm mash with brown sugar, molasses, melted butter, and spices.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, then milk, until smooth and pourable.
- Pour into crust and bake 45 to 55 minutes: the center should be set but still slightly jiggly.
- Let cool before serving, plain or with a dollop of whipped cream.
How it was made : Sweet potato pie was born from African-American cooks adapting English pumpkin pies to the most available vegetable in the South. Molasses, a cheap byproduct of sugar refining, often replaced white sugar and marked the taste of Southern desserts.
The contemporary twist : A pinch of orange zest in the filling and plating thin slices on slate give a 'Parisian cabaret' touch to this Harlem classic.
Sources : Jessica B. Harris, High on the Hog (2011) · Toni Tipton-Martin, Jubilee (2019)
Adelaide Hall · Charactorium