Sweet Potato Pie

Now people, I know how ya'll roll in america. If you need pie crust, you go to the store and buy the puppy ready made and in the pie dish already. Shame on you... the magic of any pie is the CRUST, and it's so easy to make and taste so much better. The holla days are quickly upon us, and you know how we love our sweet potato pies. I'll share with you my pastry which is so easy and can be used with any kind of pie, fruit, meat whatever.


Level of difficulty - Easy as pie

Pastry (shortcrust)

• 8 oz plain flour
• 1/2 teas salt
• 50 grams butter ( cold to room temp.)
• 50 grams lard (cold to room temp.)
• 1 egg
• flour for rolling out
  

PASTRY

• chilled large bowl
• sift flour (use strainer if you've not a sifter)
• add salt, slice butter into pats, slice lard as well
• now with clean fingers and nails rub, butter and lard into flour mash with fingers until it resembles bread crumbs. Add ice cold water a little at a time whilst mixing with a fork, it will start to form a dough ball. don't add too much water, you should be able to gather it together into a ball. the less you handle it the better. it needs to stay as chilled as possible place ball of dough in fridge.
• pre-heat oven 350

SWEET POTATO FILLING

• 6 med red sweet potatoes
• 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 cup( or more if desired) light brown sugar
• grate fresh nutmeg 1/2 teasp
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 2 shakes allspice
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp salt
• boil potatoes with skin on easier to peel when done cooking. Peel, put into mixing bowl add butter and let cool for 20 min.

Add remainder of ingredients. and beat with electric beaters or mash forever until smooth no lumps. Taste, add more of sugar, salt or spices according to how you like it. Always taste your creations as you go, so you know what you got going on. Clear surface for rolling out pastry (marble surface is best) Sprinkle liberally with flour, dust surface well. Retrieve dough from fridge, divide in two and put half back in fridge to stay chilled. Have pie dish ready (pyrex or non-stick) if neither lightly grease dish lay half ball dough onto floured surface. Rub flour over rolling pin and begin rolling out dough. Do not flip dough over and roll it, just turn it as you roll to get it round as possible and not to thin or too thick ya'll know what I mean. The best way to pick dough up to place in dish is to wind it onto rolling pin and unwind it onto pie dish. Make sure your dough is bigger than dish and hanging over the sides. Gently press dough into dish
snuggly. Beat egg and brush over pastry (this keeps it from becoming soggy). Pour in potato mixture and curl overhanging pastry around the rim of dish. with fork mash pastry around edges so that it's fluted.
. brush edges with egg and put in oven. to bake until crust is golden brown, 30 to 45 mins.

As for the other half of pastry waiting in fridge, pop into freezer, for next pie (and there will be a next one). When done, let it rest for 30 min and a dollop of fresh whipped cream will seal the deal.

DO NOT CONFUSE WITH PUMPKIN PIE. THAT'S ANOTHER TALK SHOW!

Any ?'s
Hit me up

Oh the joys!
Love Taka
Good luck