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SOUTHERN SWEET POTATO PIE

Essential Best Foods Cookbook
by Dana Jacobi
Inspired by the legendary Southern chef and author Edna Lewis, renowned for her homestyle yet refined cooking, the filling in this pie is nicely spiced and lightly sweetened. Its creamy texture goes perfectly with its untraditional whole wheat crust.
Makes 8 servings
 

Ingredients
• 1 1/2 cups mashed baked sweet potatoes
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature, separated
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup reduced-fat (2%) milk, at room temperature
• 1 (9") whole wheat pie shell, frozen or your favorite recipe
 

Directions
1. Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. In a mixing bowl whisk the sweet potatoes, egg yolks, sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg together. Add the milk and whisk until well blended. In a smaller bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. Add them to the filling, whisking until blended in. Pour the filling into the pie shell.

3. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the filling is well set except in the center and a toothpick inserted into the center has some grainy filling clinging to it. Cool the pie completely on a rack. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 6 hours to overnight. Serve within 24 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

Best Technique: Baking sweet potatoes brings out their natural sweetness. Using the baked potatoes in this pie lets you add less sugar to the filling.
Replacing the heavy cream usually used in the filling with lightly beaten egg whites keeps it velvety yet considerably lower in fat.

Nutrition
Per serving: 337 calories, 14 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 5 g protein, 50 g carbohydrates, 0 g fiber