Ginger Sweet Potato Pie

Preparation time is 30 min, cooking time 2 hours

Ingredients

For filling

• 4 medium sweet potatoes – (about 2 lbs or 1000grams)
• ¾  cup milk
• ½  cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ¼  teaspoon salt
• ¼  teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼  teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼  teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼  cup crystallized ginger

Other:

• Pie weights or raw rice for weighting shell
• Pastry dough – buy the approx. 9inch pie or make your own favourite.

For meringue:

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 5 large egg whites

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Bake your pie shell and let it cool.
3. Puncture the sweet potatoes in several places with a fork and place on your baking sheet.  Bake them in the middle of the oven for 1 ¼ hrs or until very soft.
4. Once the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, halve them and scoop out 2 cups reserving the rest for later.  Place the 2 cups of potato in your food processor and purée.  Add milk, cream, sugar, eggs and salt until well mixed.  Transfer the mix into a bowl.  Add some freshly grated nutmeg, your ground cloves and cinnamon.  Dice your crystallized ginger and add it to the mix.  Pour mix into the pre-baked pie shell. Bake in middle oven for about 40 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, in a large metal bowl stir together sugar and cinnamon for the meringue.  Position the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water.  Add egg whites and whisk until all the sugar is dissolved.   Remove from heat and with an electric hand blender beat whites until they hold stiff glossy peaks.
6. Heap the cinnamon meringue in the centre of your pie and spread it almost to the edge of the pie.  Bake in oven for about 12-15min, or until golden brown.
7. Serve and enjoy!