Sweet Potato Pie with Orange Meringue

1.  Preheat oven to 350F. To prepare crust, combine all ingredients with fork and press into 9” pie pan. Bake 10-15 minutes until edges are slightly browned. Let cool.

2.  To prepare filling, whisk together eggs, brown sugar, maple syrup, and sweet potato in large bowl until smooth. In small, separate bowl combine cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, all spice, and corn starch. Sift into egg mixture and whisk together until combined. 

3.  In separate bowl, use hand mixer to whisk heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold heavy cream into egg mixture until combined, careful not to over-mix or whipped cream will fall. Pour into cooled pie shell and bake 45-50 minutes, or until pie is set on edges and jiggles slightly in middle. Let cool in fridge. 

4.  To prepare meringue, add egg whites, cream of tartar, and two tablespoons sugar to bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment and beat until soft peaks form.

5.  In a 2-quart sauce pan, combine remaining sugar, water, and brown rice syrup until soft ball stage (235-245F). Turn heat off immediately. Turn mixer on low and pour hot sugar mixture in slowly until combined. Beat on high 5-6 minutes (7-10 minutes if using hand mixer), stirring in vanilla and orange zest in the final minute. Pour as much as is desired over cooled pie and create peaks using back of a spoon.

6.  Using a kitchen torch, brush heat over meringue until browning occurs. To brown meringue by broiling, preheat broiler first and put pie in for 30 seconds to 1 minute.