Pie series no. 4 - Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

Many years ago now, my Auntie Shrew took my not yet husband and I to the famous Dinosaur Bar B Que Roadhouse in Syracuse N.Y. It's a wondrous place where locals tourists and bikers stand in a queue lined with Harleys to wait for a table. Families with small children stand nestled between big burly leather clad folk covered in tattoos. It's fantastic! Once inside you order let's say, a rack of ribs, which comes with none other than three sides, everything comes with 3 sides. It's the thing. Your meal arrives at the table with what looks like the entire rib cage of a cow and three enormous sides. It's fantastically obscene, and yes, a wee bit wrong.

Photo curtousey of the Dinosaur Bar B Que cookbook

My Aunt gifted us this cookbook years later, a must have in the comfort food section of any library - Dinosaur Bar B Que, An American Roadhouse. It is full of indulgent American style food. Even though it is packed with pages ladden with meat it is a go to for this vegetarian more often than not. One of my absolute favorites is the Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. It combines the spiciness of a pumpkin pie and and the sweet sticky top of a pecan pie. Drool!

Sweet Potato Pecan Pie

Pastry

See post here

The Filling

2 cups mashed sweet potato
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk

The Topping

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tbls softened butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup (although I used light)
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
a pinch of salt

Directions

1. Pre heat oven to 325 (160)
2. Roll out pastry and fit to pie dish approximately 1 1/4 deep. A deeper dish is needed to hold all the good stuff.
3. Place the pie dish in the freezer until you are ready to fill it.
4. Mix together all of the ingredients for the filling and put aside.
5. Mix together all the ingredients together for the topping and put aside.
So far easy peasy right?
6. Pull the pastry out of the freezer and spoon in the filling, spreading it evenly.
7. Pour topping over the mixture.
8. Bake in the oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until crust is golden and filling is set.
9. Serve at room temperature with cream.

A very simple to construct pie with a big presence. Thank you Dinosaur Bar B Que. Still drooling..