Ingredients
For the Sweet Potato Filling:
3 pounds of sweet potatoes
1/4 cup of real maple syrup (not pancake syrup)
1/4 cup of bourbon or whiskey
1/4 cup of water
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
For the Pecan Crumble:
1 1/3 cup of chopped pecans
1/2 cup of dark brown sugar
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter melted
For the Brown Sugar Meringue:
3 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar
2 tablespoons of white sugar
1 1/4 cups of dark brown sugar
1/4 cup of water
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray the inside of a 2.25-Quart Covered Buffet Casserole with cooking oil.
- Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 1/2-inch thick disks. Arrange the disks in the pan, standing the disks on their side, overlapping and “shingling” them into the pan. Place the remaining filling ingredients in a small saucepan and cook, stirring constantly with a whisk, until the butter has melted completely and the filling sauce starts to boil. Pour the sauce over the sweet potatoes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the oven 40 minutes.
- While the sweet potatoes are baking, make the pecan crumble topping by combining the pecans, brown sugar, flour, ginger and salt in a medium bowl. Toss together with a fork. Drizzle the melted butter over the bowl and stir to coat and clump the ingredients together until all the butter is absorbed. Place in the refrigerator until time to use.
- Once the sweet potatoes have finished initially baking, sprinkle the pecan crumble over the top of the dish. Place back in the oven and bake an additional 30 minutes, or until the crumble is golden brown and the sweet potatoes are cooked fully and tender. Pull the pan out of the oven to cool.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooling, make the meringue by placing the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the wire whisk attachment. Whip the whites on medium high, until they start to foam up. Increase the speed to high and sprinkle the white sugar over the egg whites until the sugar is absorbed and the whites start to look glossy and shiny. Stop the mixer.
- Place the brown sugar and water in a 2-Quart Covered Straining Saucepan. Heat the pan on medium high, stirring constantly, until all the brown sugar is dissolved. Continue to heat the pan until the brown sugar liquid reaches 220°F. Turn the mixer back onto medium high speed and slowly drizzle the liquid brown sugar into the egg whites, making sure not to hit the mixer wire whisk. Continue mixing the egg whites until all the brown sugar liquid is added. Increase the speed to high and add the cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Beat until the side of the bowl has cooled, about 5 minutes.
- Spoon the meringue into a large pastry bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe the meringue over the sweet potatoes in a circular fashion, making sure to cover the entire top of the pan. Use a kitchen torch to brown the top of the meringue or place in the oven heated at 350°F for 5 to 10 minutes or until the top of the meringue is brown.