Sweet Potato Honey Beer Pie

by Nik Sharma, featured in The Flavor Equation

Published by Chronicle Books

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Introduction

Sweet potatoes are on a monthly rotation in my household; even my dog, Snoopy, loved them. The different components of the pie can be prepared on different days. Here's a suggested order of steps you might find useful, especially if you make this for Thanksgiving. Day 1: Roast sweet potatoes, reduce the beer, and prepare the pie crust, but don't blind bake (partially bake). Day 2: Blind bake the pie crust, prepare the sweet potato custard, and bake the pie. Of course, you can also do this all in one day.

The Flavour Approach:

Heat plays a very important part in this recipe: The bitterness of beer is concentrated through reduction by evaporating the water. When the nuts in the crust are heated, a whole new set of flavour molecules is produced, which will vary depending on the type of nut used. Heat also helps the egg, nuts, and sugar bind together to form the structure of the pie.

When sweet potatoes are heated, the enzyme amylase breaks down the starch stored in the vegetable’s cells to release sweet-tasting sugar molecules, making a roasted sweet potato taste much sweeter than a raw one. This is why roasting sweet potatoes is a superior method for producing not just sweetness but also a beautiful fragrance. Research shows that roasting produces at least seventeen more aromatic molecules than are achieved through boiling or microwaving, and most of them in higher concentrations. Roasting also helps with caramelization of sugars and the Maillard reaction.

The Flavour Approach:

As featured in

The Flavor Equation

Image of Nik Sharma's Sweet Potato Honey Beer Pie — Photo by Nik Sharma

Ingredients

Makes: one 9inch (23cm) pie

Metric Cups

For the crust

55 grams unsalted butter (cubed and softened to room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan)
50 grams dark brown sugar
1 large egg (lightly whisked)
200 grams almond flour (blanched or unblanched)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

For the filling

455 grams sweet potatoes (preferably an orange-fleshed variety such as Garnet or Jewel)
1 x 360 millilitres bottle dark beer
100 grams dark brown sugar or jaggery
85 grams honey
3 large eggs plus 3 yolks
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground green cardamom
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
120 millilitres full fat milk
120 millilitres double cream
1 tablespoon cornflour

For the crust

¼ cup unsalted butter (cubed and softened to room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan)
packed ¼ cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg (lightly whisked)
7 ounces almond flour (blanched or unblanched)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt

For the filling

1 pound sweet potatoes (preferably an orange-fleshed variety such as Garnet or Jewel)
1 x 12 fluid ounces bottle dark beer
packed ½ cup dark brown sugar or jaggery
¼ cup honey
3 large eggs plus 3 yolks
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground green cardamom
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
½ cup whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Method

Sweet Potato Honey Beer Pie is a guest recipe by Nik Sharma so we are not able to answer questions regarding this recipe

To prepare the crust, line the base of a 9 in [23cm] round tart pan with parchment paper and grease lightly with a little butter.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed until the mixture is a uniform pale brown and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a sillicone spatula. Add the egg and whisk on meduim-low speed until combined, 1 minute. Add the almond flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed until it comes together to form a ball of dough, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the dough from the bowl directly into the prepared pan.
Using a small, flat-bottomed bowl or the base of a flat measuring cup (with parchment paper covering the dough if you wish), spread and level the dough until it covers the base and the sides in an even layer. Wrap with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour until firm. The crust can be prepared in advance and frozen, wrapped and sealed in a resealable bag, for up to 2 weeks.
To partially bake the crust, at least 1 hour before it will be filled with the custard, preheat the oven to 350℉ [177℃] and set a rack in the lower one-third position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the crust on the baking sheet. Dock the surface by pricking it all over with a fork. Cover with a large sheet of parchment paper and weigh it down with pie weights. Bake until the sides just start to brown, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the weights and the parchment paper.
To prepare the filling, preheat the oven to 400℉ [204℃]. Rinse the sweet potatoes to remove any dirt and pat them dry with paper towels. Place the sweet potatoes in a baking dish or on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast until completely tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool completely before handling. Peel the sweet potatoes, discard the skins, and purée the flesh in a food processor. You should have about 12oz [340g] of sweet potato purée. Once the purée is completely cooled, proceed with the filling or refrigerate overnight in an airtight container. This can be done a day or two in advance.
When ready to complete the filling, pour the beer into a medium, deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over a medium-high heat. Watch carefully to avoid overflowing as the liquid foams on heating. Lower the heat to low and cook until the liquid reduces to about ¼ cup [60ml], 20 to 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature before using.
Preheat the oven to 350℉ [177℃]. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the reduced beer, sweet potato purée, sugar, honey, eggs, yolks, ginger, cardamon, turmeric, and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk and double cream until the sugar completetly dissolves. In a small bowl, whisk the cornflour and 11/2 Tbsp of water to form a slurry. Pour the slurry into the custard and whisk until combined. Alternatively, and the ingredients to a high-speed blender and pulse on high speed briefly until you get a smooth slurry (this is my preferred method to obtain a silky-smooth filling)
Transfer the custard to a large saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, scraping down the sides, until the mixture reaches 165℉ [74℃] on an instant-read thermometer and begins to noticeably thicken, 10 to 12 minutes. Quickly remove from the heat. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large measuring pitcher and strain the custard to remove any lumps.
Pour the custard into the prebaked crust and bake until the custard is set and an instant-read thermometer reads 185℉ [85℃] when inserted into the centre of the custard, 25 to 30 minutes. The custard should be firm on the sides but slightly jiggly in the centre. Transfer to a wire rack and let the pie cool to room temperature before serving.

To prepare the crust, line the base of a 9 in [23cm] round tart pan with parchment paper and grease lightly with a little butter.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium-low speed until the mixture is a uniform pale brown and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a sillicone spatula. Add the egg and whisk on meduim-low speed until combined, 1 minute. Add the almond flour and salt and mix on medium-low speed until it comes together to form a ball of dough, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape the dough from the bowl directly into the prepared pan.
Using a small, flat-bottomed bowl or the base of a flat measuring cup (with parchment paper covering the dough if you wish), spread and level the dough until it covers the base and the sides in an even layer. Wrap with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 1 hour until firm. The crust can be prepared in advance and frozen, wrapped and sealed in a resealable bag, for up to 2 weeks.
To partially bake the crust, at least 1 hour before it will be filled with the custard, preheat the oven to 350℉ [177℃] and set a rack in the lower one-third position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the crust on the baking sheet. Dock the surface by pricking it all over with a fork. Cover with a large sheet of parchment paper and weigh it down with pie weights. Bake until the sides just start to brown, 15-20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes. Remove the weights and the parchment paper.
To prepare the filling, preheat the oven to 400℉ [204℃]. Rinse the sweet potatoes to remove any dirt and pat them dry with paper towels. Place the sweet potatoes in a baking dish or on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Roast until completely tender, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool completely before handling. Peel the sweet potatoes, discard the skins, and purée the flesh in a food processor. You should have about 12oz [340g] of sweet potato purée. Once the purée is completely cooled, proceed with the filling or refrigerate overnight in an airtight container. This can be done a day or two in advance.
When ready to complete the filling, pour the beer into a medium, deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil over a medium-high heat. Watch carefully to avoid overflowing as the liquid foams on heating. Lower the heat to low and cook until the liquid reduces to about ¼ cup [60ml], 20 to 30 minutes. Cool to room temperature before using.
Preheat the oven to 350℉ [177℃]. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the reduced beer, sweet potato purée, sugar, honey, eggs, yolks, ginger, cardamon, turmeric, and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk and heavy cream until the sugar completetly dissolves. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and 11/2 Tbsp of water to form a slurry. Pour the slurry into the custard and whisk until combined. Alternatively, and the ingredients to a high-speed blender and pulse on high speed briefly until you get a smooth slurry (this is my preferred method to obtain a silky-smooth filling)
Transfer the custard to a large saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, scraping down the sides, until the mixture reaches 165℉ [74℃] on an instant-read thermometer and begins to noticeably thicken, 10 to 12 minutes. Quickly remove from the heat. Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large measuring pitcher and strain the custard to remove any lumps.
Pour the custard into the prebaked crust and bake until the custard is set and an instant-read thermometer reads 185℉ [85℃] when inserted into the centre of the custard, 25 to 30 minutes. The custard should be firm on the sides but slightly jiggly in the centre. Transfer to a wire rack and let the pie cool to room temperature before serving.