What a super twist on two foods traditionally associated with Thanksgiving! This comes from John and Matt Lewis Thorne's "Outlaw Cook."
For the pie:
1 cup cooked sweet potatoes
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
9-inch unbaked pie shell
For the topping:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and set the oven rack to the upper middle level. Put the sweet potatoes through a vegetable ricer (a hand masher also works well).
In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar and then beat in the eggs until the mixture is smooth and light.
Beat into the batter the half-and-half, the sweet potatoes, the seasonings and the pecans. Turn the batter into the pie shell.
Blend together the topping ingredients. Sprinkle over the pie filling. Bake on the upper middle oven rack at 350 degrees until the top is golden brown and the filling is firm (about 40 minutes). A toothpick inserted in the center of the pie should emerge clean. Serve, if desired, with unsweetened whipped cream.
Makes one 9-inch pie, enough to serve 8 to 12.
Monday, November 22, 1999
