| Level: | Advanced |
| Total: | 1 hr 55 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Inactive: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
| Level: | Advanced |
| Total: | 1 hr 55 min |
| Prep: | 45 min |
| Inactive: | 10 min |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 10 to 12 servings |
Ingredients
- Nonstick pan spray
- 2 egg whites
- 1 tablespoon sorghum molasses
- 3 cups pecan halves
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and large dice
- 4 cups vegetable stock, or water if unavailable
- 4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns, ground
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter
- 1 vanilla bean, scraped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- 1 1/2 cup egg whites
- 2 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 strips gelatin
Instructions
- For the pecan candy: Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F. Lightly spray a nonstick pan with oil or pan spray.
- Whip together the egg whites, molasses and 1 tablespoon water in a stand mixer until soft peaks or fluffy. Fold the pecans into the bowl.
- In a smaller bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, salt, coriander, cayenne and cumin. Place the pecans on the prepared baking sheet and dust over the spice and sugar mixture.
- Bake in the oven until evenly browned and fragrant, 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 10 to 12 minutes. Be sure to spread out each individual pecan when removed from the oven and let cool. Roughly chop the pecans and store in an airtight container until needed.
- For the potato puree: Place the potatoes, stock, salt and pepper into a medium saucepan with a lid. Heat the pot to a boil, return to a simmer, cover and cook until the potatoes are very tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Add the potatoes, but not the liquid, to a food processor and puree until smooth. Add the butter, vanilla seeds and cinnamon, if using, to the puree. Pulse again until all the ingredients are incorporated and smooth.
- Butter a 9-inch casserole dish that has enough volume to hold the finished puree. Place the puree in the buttered casserole. (Or hold until ready to place into the casserole.)
- For the marshmallow topping: Combine in a stand mixer the egg whites, 1 cup of the sugar and vanilla extract. Beat the mixture using the whip attachment until soft peaks form.
- Simultaneously heat the remaining 1 3/4 cup sugar and 1 cup water in a small saucepot until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F on a sugar thermometer.
- Place the gelatin in a mixing bowl and slowly pour in the sugar syrup over the gelatin. Begin mixing at half speed until combined. Then incorporate the egg mixture and whip until slightly cool to the touch.
- To finish: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the marshmallow topping over top of the sweet potatoes in the casserole. Top with the pecan candy, place into the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. And then rotate the pan and bake until the meringue is browned and the potatoes are hot throughout, another 8 to 10 minutes. Remove and let stand for 5 to 8 minutes and serve.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 589 |
| Total Fat | 26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 83 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 62 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 14 mg |
| Sodium | 739 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 12 servings |
| Calories | 589 |
| Total Fat | 26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 83 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 62 g |
| Protein | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 14 mg |
| Sodium | 739 mg |
Reviews
Best sweet potatoes ever! A must for the holiday table. I make extra pecans, they are just too good! Spot on!
Recipe was fantastic, however, for the “marshmallow” directions, it should say to add the gelatin/syrup to the egg white mixture and not the other way around. What happens, is the syrup cools too fast and crystallizes on your mixing bowl, as opposed to blending, like it should.
It tastes great though!
Whoever the author of this recipe this person deserves tremendous respect I would kiss his /her hands for this recipe especially for carmelized pecans. thank you very much
Does anyone know what they mean by 2 gelatin strips? I bought powdered gelatin ( Knox original Gelatine) it comes with 4 “envelopes”. Should I use 2 envelopes? Or are “strips” of Gelatin completely different?
Thanks!
I made this dish and it was absolutely delicious. I was so surprised to pull it off! The directions were very easy to follow. I think I over spiced the nuts on my own accord, beware. It was a huge hit at Thanksgiving dinner. I would not make this if I were hosting Thanksgiving because it was time and thought consuming. Hopefully one day I’ll be a faster prep and cleaner so I can make it when I host. Again, really special and delicious dish, thank you to the chef for sharing!
Delicious! It does take a decent amount of time to make but if you plan ahead, you’ll be fine. I made the pecan candy and sweet potato puree the day before and then made the marshmallow topping the day of, assembled and baked. I did personal-sized crocks and they were so cute! Way better than the old sweet potato casseroles. Thank you Bryan!
This is the new fav on the thanksgiving table! I didn’t make my own marshmallow topping and used the fluff stuff. Making homemade marshmellows scared me. Also didn’t have molasses or vanilla bean pod. I substituted real maple syrup and pure vanilla extract (1.5 tsp. It was amazing.