Nov 16, 2012

Sweet Potato Casserole with Bourbon and Pineapple

A variation of traditional sweet potato casserole this side gets its depth of flavor from bourbon and pineapple. This recipe first appeared in our November 2012 issue along with Bernard L. Herman's story A Bountiful Shore.

Credit: Anna Stockwell

SERVES 12�16

INGREDIENTS

5½ lb. sweet potatoes
½ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup bourbon
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
½ tsp. ground black pepper
2 eggs
1 (8-oz.) can crushed pineapple
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 egg whites

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°. Place potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet; bake until tender, about 1½ hours. Peel and transfer to a food processor along with brown sugar, bourbon, butter, 1 tsp. salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, pepper, eggs, and pineapple; puree. Transfer to a 9" x 13" baking dish; bake until heated through, about 25 minutes.

2. While casserole bakes, bring sugar, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over high heat; attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan, and cook, without stirring, until syrup reaches 250°. Meanwhile, place remaining salt, vanilla, and egg whites in a large bowl; beat on medium-high speed of a hand mixer until soft peaks form. While beating, slowly drizzle in hot syrup, and beat until meringue is thickened and cooled.

3. Heat broiler to high. Spread meringue over casserole; broil until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #151

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Ratings & Reviews (1)

by STUDENT27514 on 2012-11-26

This recipe makes a very fine sweet potato casserole, one of the best I have ever had, but the instructions need amending. Not all of us have food processors with very large bowls. For instance, the processor that I own, a Cuisnart, has a bowl with a capacity of 11 cups, which could not have handled all the ingredients in step 1 of the recipe as given. Here follows a revised step 1, which reflects what I had to do:

1 (revised). Heat oven to 350�. Place potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet; bake until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Peel and transfer to the bowl of a stand-alone mixer along with brown sugar, bourbon, butter, 1 tsp. salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, pepper, eggs, and pineapple; beat the ingredients till they become as smooth as the beaters can make them. Then transfer half the mixture to the food processor and puree till the mixture is very smooth. Transfer to a 9" x 13" baking dish. Repeat these steps with the remaining mixture from the mixer. Then smooth the transferred mixture in the baking dish. Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake.

Sweet Potato Casserole with Bourbon and Pineapple Reviewed by STUDENT27514 on Jan 6. This recipe makes a very fine sweet potato casserole, one of the best I have ever had, but the instructions need amending. Not all of us have food processors with very large bowls. For instance, the processor that I own, a Cuisnart, has a bowl with a capacity of 11 cups, which could not have handled all the ingredients in step 1 of the recipe as given. Here follows a revised step 1, which reflects what I had to do:

1 (revised). Heat oven to 350�. Place potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet; bake until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Peel and transfer to the bowl of a stand-alone mixer along with brown sugar, bourbon, butter, 1 tsp. salt, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, pepper, eggs, and pineapple; beat the ingredients till they become as smooth as the beaters can make them. Then transfer half the mixture to the food processor and puree till the mixture is very smooth. Transfer to a 9" x 13" baking dish. Repeat these steps with the remaining mixture from the mixer. Then smooth the transferred mixture in the baking dish. Bake until heated through, about 25 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake. Rating: