My Sweet Potato Pie

I guess I'm just a lucky guy
And I'm prepared to tell you why
It's strictly on account of my
Sweet Potato Pie

You can call me a convert... after years of pumpkin pie and whipped cream, I've found a new favorite.

Trust me.

You'll agree.

Mona does:

This is sweet and crunchy, and will put good use to that bag of sweet potatoes that's been lying on the floor for the last two weeks. Oh - and don't forget the crust. It's good enough to eat alone.


Sweet Potato Tart with Gingerbread Crust
Crust:
2 c AP flour
1/2 c sugar
3/4 t ginger
1/2 t cinnamon
1/8 t cloves
1/8 t black pepper
1/8 t salt
3/4 c butter, chilled and cubed
1 egg
1 T molasses
1 t vanilla

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter (remaining butter pieces should be no bigger than a pea). Mix wet ingredients separately and then add to dry. Mix or knead until dough forms a cohesive ball. Refrigerate for at least one hour. Roll out on floured surface, fit to pan, and return to the fridge.

Filling:
1 1/2 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces
2 large eggs
1/3 c packed brown sugar
3 T maple syrup
1/4 t salt
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
3/4 c heavy cream

Cover sweet potatoes with water and bring to boil. Simmer 15 minutes, until tender. Puree in food processor until smooth. (Set your oven to 375 now.) Whisk eggs, brown sugar, and maple syrup, then add to puree. Incorporate remaining ingredients. Your filling should be silky smooth. (Yum yum.) Pour filling into the tart crust and bake for 50 minutes. Filling should still jiggle some when you pull it out. Let cool completely before moving onto the topping.

Topping:
3 T butter
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 T heavy cream
1 c pecans, chopped

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar. After 3 minutes or so add heavy cream - when it looks smooth and the sugar has dissolved completely, add in the pecans and remove from the heat. Spread over baked pie and serve!! (Preferably with some homemade whipped cream... yum.)

So let the whole damn world go by
'Cause I just want to testify
From now on it's me and my
Sweet Potato Pie... (James Taylor)