PAUL PRUDHOMME'S SWEET POTATO PECAN PIE WITH A FEW SLICE OF HEAVEN TWEAKS

 (Makes one 9" pie or four 4½” mini-springform sized pies)

First things first- roast 3 or 4 sweet potatoes (pierced with a fork and wrapped in aluminum foil) in the oven at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until they test tender with a knife. (You will need 2 cups of sweet potato pulp for the recipe.) It's really better to roast them in the oven, not cook them in the microwave or boil them. In the oven, the skins start to caramelize giving the potatoes a deeper flavor.

The crust: (makes enough for two single 9" crusts or four single 4 and 1/2" mini-springform crusts with a little left over)

2 and 1/2   cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt 
2 teaspoons sugar
generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
2 sticks (8 oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut in small cubes
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons cold buttermilk 

Whisk together flour, salt, sugar and nutmeg in a large bowl. Using your fingers or a bench scraper, cut in the cold butter  and zest until the mixture is crumbly. Add the cold buttermilk combining gently until the mixture forms a soft dough.  Pat into two equal discs, turn each out onto two  pieces of plastic wrap, wrapping them completely.  Refrigerate for one hour. When the dough has chilled, roll out one disc on a lightly floured surface and fit it into an 9" pie plate. You can freeze the other disc for another time. If you are making four mini-pies in the springform pans, you will need one and one half discs of dough. Divide the dough  into 4 even pieces.  Roll each portion of dough an 1/8"  thick and  line each of  the four mini-springform pans, pressing the dough gently across the bottom and up the sides.  Use your thumb to indent the edges of the pie dough and place the unbaked shell(s) in the freezer. You will have a small portion of dough remaining that you can wrap and freeze for another use.)

The Filling:

2 cups of roasted sweet potatoes (just the pulp, not the skin)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
2 Tablespoons sweet butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 tablespoon bourbon
1/2 teaspoon orange zest- add after straining

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Place the potatoes, sugars, egg, cream, butter, vanilla, salt,  spices, and bourbon in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using the paddle attachment with the mixer on low, combine the ingredients until smooth. Do not over mix. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer then stir in the orange zest.  Set the filling aside and prepare the pecan syrup:

The Pecan Syrup:

1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 large egg, room temperature
1 Tablespoon melted unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon bourbon
pinch salt 
3/4 cup pecan halves

Combine the sugar, corn syrup, egg, melted butter, vanilla and salt in a bowl until sugar dissolves and the mixture is well blended. Stir in the pecans.

To assemble: Retrieve the pie crust(s) from the freezer and set on a parchment lined baking pan. Pour the sweet potato filling into the prepared pie crust(s) and spread evenly with a small offset spatula. Pour the pecan syrup on top of the sweet potato layer. (Be careful not to overfill; if you have a few tablespoons of pecan syrup left over, you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days and add it to pecan pie filling.) Place the pie(s) on the bottom shelf  of the  pre-heated 325 degree oven. Bake for about an hour; if you're baking the smaller pies, they  should be done in an hour but the larger pie might need additional time.  The pecans will rise to the top as the pie bakes; test the filling with a knife, it should come out clean. If not, bake an additional 5-10 minutes. Place the pie(s) on a rack to cool. You can serve this on its own or whip up 1 cup of  heavy cream, 2 tablespoons of confectioner's sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. At the restaurant, we added a serious splash of Frangelico or bourbon to the whipped cream. I most definitely recommend it.    ​Wrap and refrigerate any leftover pie and whipped cream.