Sweet Potato Pie with Bourbon and Spice

(yields one 9" pie)
(Inspired by Maida Heatter's Yam Pie and Gourmet's Sweet Potato Pie 1989)

one  9" all-butter pie crust (blind bake before filling)
1 & 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 oz. (1 stick) cold, unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup ice cold water
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine flour, salt and sugar. Pulse once or twice to combine. Add butter and pulse just until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Empty this mixture into a medium sized bowl. Combine ice water and vinegar then add to flour/butter mixture, one or two tablespoons at a time until the dough comes together. If it feels at all dry, add one or two additional tablespoons of ice cold water. Pat the dough together into a disc, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out and fitting it into a 9"pie plate. Chill the pie shell thoroughly before blind-baking it.

Sweet Potato filling

1 & 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes (try and use a deep colored yam such as the Garnet)
(roast the potatoes in a 375 degree oven until they pierce easily and begin to caramelize, about an hour, maybe a bit longer)
4 tablespoons room temperature, unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 
1 teaspoon ground ginger (I prefer 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger) 
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/4 cup good quality bourbon

Once the potatoes have roasted and cooled, remove the skins and mash the pulp with a potato masher. You need 2 cups of mashed sweet potatoes for this recipe. I like to give the mashed potatoes a quick run through the food processor with the butter so they are smooth, but don't overdo it and get them all pasty. Place the pureed potatoes/butter in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine your salt, brown sugar and spices. Now add the salt/sugar/spice mix to the potatoes/butter mix and blend thoroughly. I like to heat the cream either in the microwave or over medium heat just until it is hot, but not boiling. Add the hot cream to the potato mixture and fold in with a rubber spatula, then add the vanilla extract, orange zest and bourbon. Let this mixture rest for about an hour (really) before you add the eggs and egg yolk. Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Whisk together the eggs and egg yolk in a small bowl then add to the sweet potato mixture. Fold in gently but thoroughly. Place the partially baked pie shell on a parchment lined baking sheet and pour the filling into the pie shell. Cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil strips so they don't get too dark. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees. Continue baking the pie for about 25 minutes. The edges of the pie will begin to puff and the center will still look the tiniest bit shiny. It should just barely jiggle- the pie continues to firm up as it cools. While the pie cools, prepare the Bourbon Whipped Cream and Crazy Nut brittle.

Bourbon Whipped Cream

1 1/3 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons good quality bourbon

In a chilled bowl, whip together the cream, sugar, vanilla and bourbon until it holds soft peaks. Keep chilled until ready to serve the pie.

Crazy Nut Brittle (adapted from the Leslie Mackie's Macrina Cookbook)

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and brush the parchment with canola oil. In a small bowl combine the following spices:
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

In a small saucepan over low heat combine 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup dark corn syrup. Heat just until the mixture is melted.

In a medium bowl combine an assortment of nuts that will total 2 cups. I used:
1/2 cup pecan halves
1/2 cup walnut halves
1/2 cup macadamia nuts
1/2 cup whole skinned almonds
Toss the spice mixture over the nuts, coating them thoroughly, then add the melted honey/corn syrup mixture. Using a rubber spatula, turn the mixture out onto the greased, parchment lined baking sheet, spread the nut mixture into a single layer and bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. Let the nut mixture cool completely before you break it into brittle.