Sweeten Your Thanksgiving Routine With Recipes From the Sweet Home Cafe Cookbook

For many people, it is not Thanksgiving without a casserole dish of candied sweet potatoes— often incorrectly called candied yams—placed prominently on the table. (The yam, an edible tropical tuber, belongs to a different botanical family.) This version has so much taste that you won’t even miss the marshmallows.

Ginger and Brown Sugar Candied Sweet Potatoes

6 sweet potatoes (about 4½ pounds)
1 pinch kosher salt, plus 2 teaspoons
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¾ cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
4 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
½ vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cinnamon sticks
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Put them in a pot, cover with cold water, and add the pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes.

While the sweet potatoes simmer, put all the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. The ingredients should blend into a creamy consistency. Remove from the heat and set aside. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Drain the sweet potatoes. Transfer them to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and pour over the orange juice mixture. Gently mix to coat the sweet potatoes.

Bake uncovered for about 40 minutes, until the liquid has thickened and the sweet potatoes are tender and glazed. Gently stir the potatoes two or three times during the cooking process to help thicken the glaze. Serve hot.

If it is Thanksgiving in an African American household, the pie at the center of the dessert spread is more likely made from sweet potato than pumpkin. This connection to sweet potatoes probably goes back to a time when the tubers were the only sweet treat available to many Southerners.

Sweet Potato Pie

Basic Pie Crust (recipe below)
3 medium sweet potatoes (about 11/2 pounds)
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¼ cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 pinch kosher salt
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon Bourbon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Whipped cream, for serving

Put the sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil until fork-tender, about 25 minutes. Drain and let cool to room temperature.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of about 3/8 inch. Line a 9-inch pie dish with the dough, bringing it fully up the sides. Trim off any excess dough and crimp the edge. Place the pie dish in the refrigerator to allow the dough to firm up.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

When the sweet potatoes have cooled, peel them and place the flesh in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the potatoes until smooth. Next pass the mashed sweet potatoes through a strainer to remove any stringy fibers. Reserve the potatoes. Wipe the bowl and paddle clean and return to the mixer.

Add the butter and sugar to the mixer bowl and cream on medium speed, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, lemon zest, and salt. Mix for another 30 seconds. Then, with the mixer speed set to low, add one egg at a time along with the vanilla extract and lemon juice, beating until fully incorporated. Finally, add the pureed sweet potatoes and mix for 1 minute longer.

Pour the sweet potato mixture into the pie crust. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, until set. To check for doneness, insert a clean toothpick into the center of the pie and quickly remove it; if it comes out clean, the pie is done. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Serve with whipped cream.

Basic Pie Crust

The test of a good pie is a light, tender, flaky crust. To guarantee that result, use pastry flour and make sure your work surface and the dough is as cold as possible when you are rolling it out. Also, when making the dough, chill the water with ice cubes so the dough stays cold as you mix it.

1 cup pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoons ice water

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is the consistency of pea-sized crumbs. Slowly add the cold water 1 teaspoon at a time, mixing just until a lightly moist dough is formed. The amount of water needed can vary; it can be more or less than the full amount.

Divide the dough in half and form into two balls. Tightly wrap each ball in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until needed. The dough should rest for at least 1 hour.

When ready to use, remove the dough from the refrigerator, allow to rest for 10 minutes, and unwrap. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough as directed in individual recipes. For the best results, always work with cold dough.

To Blind Bake a Pie or Tart Crust 

Line the pie dish or tart pan with dough and refrigerate as directed in individual recipes. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Using a fork, prick the base of the pastry shell evenly across its surface about 25 times. Line the shell with a 12-inch round of parchment paper and fill with about 2 cups dried beans (the weight of the beans prevents the dough from puffing up in the oven).

Place the pie dish or tart pan on a baking sheet and bake the crust until lightly golden and fully set, 15 to 20 minutes, carefully lifting the edge of the parchment to check the progress. Transfer to a wire rack, remove the beans and parchment, and let cool completely. (Save the beans for blind baking future crusts.)

For more recipes, check out Sweet Home Cafe Cookbook, which is available from Smithsonian Books. Visit Smithsonian Books’ website to learn more about its publications and a full list of titles. 

Excerpt from Sweet Home Cafe Cookbook © 2018 by Smithsonian Institution. Recipes © 2018 by Smithsonian Institution and Restaurant Associates. Food photography © 2018 by Scott Suchman, Smithsonian Institution, and Restaurant Associates.