It’s that time of year when everything sweet and savory from coffee to soups and pastas to pies are flavored with Pumpkin. In fact I think today is even National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day. Go figure…

While I do like pumpkin bread, and I had some delicious pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon cream cheese icing this past weekend, I didn’t grow up in a house with a love for all things pumpkin. In fact, I have a confession I have never even tried the famed Starbucks pumpkin spice latte.  We were just not Pumpkin people growing up.

While there was not a Pumpkin Pie to be found around our Thanksgiving table I like to think we had something even better Sweet Potato Pie. It’s a southern thing I know, but I love sweet potatoes in any and every way they could possibly be made, but my favorite has to be my Mom’s Sweet Potato Pie.

Years ago my Mom put her mother’s recipe for this delicious Sweet Potato Pie in the McKeown Family cookbook and wrote one simple thing about this family recipe…..

“I love Mom’s Sweet Potato Pie.”

My Mom also makes a To-Die-For Pecan Pie but that’s another post for another time…..

Mom’s Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:

1 unbaked pie shell**

2 Cups Sweet Potatoes (2-3 sweet potatoes) peeled and chopped.

3 Eggs, stiffly beaten

1 Cup of Sugar

½ Teaspoon of Salt

1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

¼ Teaspoon of Cloves

¼ Teaspoon of Nutmeg

¼ Teaspoon of Ginger

1½ Cups Evaporated Milk (1–12oz. Can)

 

­Directions:

Pre-Heat the oven to 450 degrees

Place the peeled and chopped sweet potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender. Then drain the potatoes and puree in a food processor until smooth.   Allow the mixture to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer combine eggs, sugar, salt, spices and beat well. Blend in the pureed Sweet Potatoes. Add the can of evaporated milk and beat. Pour into pie shell and bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 45 minutes.

Don’t y’all want a slice?

I can promise this will be my breakfast tomorrow morning too…. What?  There’s nothing wrong with pie for breakfast is there?

 

*Tip: To ensure a crispy flaky pie crust brush the inside of the pie shell with egg wash (1 egg beaten + 1 Tablespoon of water) before pouring in the sweet potato pie filling. The egg wash acts as a barrier between the liquid pie filling and the pie shell allowing the bottom and side crusts to crisp.

 

** Tip: This recipe makes 1 full Sweet Potato Pie but can be stretched from 1 Sweet Potato Pie into 2 by adding an extra cup of Sweet Potato puree.

 

Perfect Pie Crust

Recipe courtesy of Ina Garten

Copyright 2002, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, All Rights Reserved

Yield: 2 (10-inch) crusts

Ingredients:

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening

6 to 8 tablespoons (about 1/2 cup) ice water

 

Directions:

Dice the butter and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out on a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn’t stick to the board. Fold the dough in half, place in a pie pan, and unfold to fit the pan. Repeat.