Caribbean Sweet Potato Pie or Cazuela in a Crust
How to serve: Both the filling and pie dough may be made separately a day ahead, then wrapped and refrigerated before baking. Pie is best served at room temperature. Enjoy as is, or take it over the top with a dollop of coconut whipped cream or scoop of vegan ice cream.
Ingredients
For the pie shell
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- pinch baking powder
- 5 tablespoons evaporated cane sugar
- ½ cup vegan butter chilled
- 1 tablespoon aquafaba
- 1 tablespoon ice water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
For the filing
- ½ cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons rum preferably a dark or spiced rum
- 1 cup sweet potato peeled and cooked until soft or 1 cup frozen sweet potato purée, thawed
- 1 cup pumpkin or half a 15-ounce can pumpkin purée — plain pumpkin not pumpkin pie filling
- 1 cup coconut milk full fat
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon clove
- 2 tablespoons aquafaba
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
For the pie shell:
- Pulse flour, baking powder and sugar in a food processor. Add vegan butter and pulse until coarse Add aquafaba, ice water and vanilla. Pulse again until the consistency of damp sand. Dough will not come together at this point, but will still be grainy.
- Gather everything up in parchment or foil. Wrap well and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Pat dough into a 9-inch tart ring or pie shell. Press dough down firmly, and prick a few times with a fork. Recipe yields more than enough for a pie, leaving you extra for decorations, if desired.
- Bake pie shell for 12 to 15 minutes, until crust is pale gold and bottom seems set. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly.
- Reduce heat to 350 degrees.
- Place partly-baked tart shell on a rimmed baking sheet..
For the filling:
- Pour raisins to a small bowl. Add the rum and let the raisins macerate.
- In a food processor, whiz together the sweet potato, pumpkin and coconut milk, until smooth and creamy.
- Pour in brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove, and pulse to combine. Then add the aquafaba and cornstarch and blend to combine.
- Drain the excess rum from the raisins and stir them in by hand — a food processor will blitz raisins into oblivion.
- Pour the filing into the pie shell, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or util top is set and center jiggles just a little. Pie will firm up as it cools.
- How to save: Cover leftovers with plastic wrap, store in airtight container and refrigerate. If any moisture appears on the surface of the pie, blot gently with a paper towel before serving. Pie keeps refrigerated for several days.