smokin' sweet potato pie

Finding a great sweet potato pie recipe is one of those "Holy Grail" kind of searches for me. Here is my latest discovery, and it's pretty good.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1 prepared pie crust

Line a nine in pie plate with crust, crimping the edges. Line the bottom with foil and pie weights (I use pocket change) and bake for about ten minutes. Set aside to cool.

2 cups sweet potatoes (two medium sized potatoes)

Peel the potatoes and boil them until they are soft. Drain them and pour them into a food processor. While they are still hot, add

2 tablespoons butter

and blend. In a separate bowl, whisk together

3 large eggs, plus two yolks
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt

then add

3 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla

and finally whisk in

2/3 cup milk

Slowly add milk mixture to sweet potatoes in food processor and blend until smooth. Sprinkle

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

in the bottom of the baked pie shell and then pour the sweet potato mixture on top. Bake for about forty-five minutes, until center jiggles only slightly when shaken. Cool at room temperature.

Peace,
Milton

spirited brown sugar pecan pie

I’ve tried a lot of pecan pie recipes and this is undoubtedly my favorite, first, for using brown sugar instead of corn syrup and, second, for the touch of Scotch in the mix. A little Scotch in a glass goes pretty well with the pie when you serve it, as well.
I must also give credit: I found the recipe here.

1 refrigerated pie crust

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line nine inch pie plate with dough and crimp the edges. Whisk together

2 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon Scotch whiskey
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Then mix in

2 cups pecan halves

Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake pie until filling is slightly puffed and set in center, about 40 minutes. Let the pie cool completely at room temperature.

Peace,
Milton

blueberry pie

This recipe is adapted from one I found here.

1 package refrigerated pie crusts

Put one crust in the bottom of a nine inch pie plate; set the other aside.

5 cups blueberries (fresh, when in season; if using frozen, make sure they are thawed and drained well)
lemon juice

Sprinkle berries with lemon juice and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

and then add to blueberries. Pour the whole mixture into the prepared pie shell and dot with

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

Put the second crust on top of the pie and seal the edges of the two crusts together, folding them over to make the rim and crimping it. Cut slits in the top of the crust to allow the steam to escape during baking.

1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon sugar

Brush the top of the pie with the egg and then sprinkle the sugar over it. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Let it cool before serving.

Peace,
Milton

awesome pumpkin pie

One of my favorite recipe sites is Smitten Kitchen. This recipe is one I found at her site and changed a bit.

1 pie crust

I would love to tell you I make my own crust every time. This Thanksgiving (or Pie-a-palooza, as we call it at our house), I used the Pillsbury crusts, but if you are using your own, roll out dough on generously floured work surface to make a circle about 1/8-inch thick and big enough to leave at least 1-inch overhang all around pie plate. Press the dough into the bottom of the plate and then fold the overhang under to create the crust around the top. Work around the plate, crimping the crust with your fingers to give it the fluted look; refrigerate dough-lined plate until firm, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from refrigerator, line crust with foil and fill with pie weights or pennies and bake it on a rimmed baking sheet for fifteen minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake it another five minutes or so, until crust is golden brown and crisp. Remove the plate and baking sheet from oven.

Preheat the oven to 4oo degrees.

While the pie shell is baking, whisk together

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk (I used 2 cups of half and half instead of one cup each of cream and milk)
3 large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 cup drained candied yams from 15-ounce can (it enhances the pumpkin taste)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon table salt

cook over medium heat until it begins to sputter, stirring consistently and mashing the yams against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, which will take ten or twelve minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the cream mixture slowly, until it is fully incorporated. I then take my Braun hand mixer and pureed the mixture until it was silky smooth. You could also use a food processor. When it is thoroughly mixed, transfer the it to warm pre-baked pie shell. Bake the pie (on a baking sheet) for ten minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 degrees and ontinue baking until the edges are set, 25 to 30 minutes longer. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Peace,
Milton

pie crusts

This is one of those handed down recipes; it makes three crusts.

3 c flour
1 t salt
1 1/4 c butter (2 1/2 sticks), diced

Pulse the flour, salt, and butter in a food processor until it looks like small beads, then add

1 egg
6 T cold water
1 T white vinegar

Mix until a dough forms. Divide into three equal balls, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least thirty minutes. Roll out the dough when ready. Makes three crusts for a nine inch pie plate.

Peace,
Milton