Sweet Potato Pie With Chocolate Crumb Crust And Pouring Custard Recipe 445

Steps:

• Blind bake tart shell for 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. In a mixing bowl, combine ingredients thoroughly. Pour sweet potato mixture into tart shell and return to 350 degree oven and bake for 25 minutes or until center is set.
• In a food processor, combine the flour, butter and salt and pulse until the mixture is very coarse. Pour the flour/butter into a large bowl and add the ice water. Pour out onto a clean, flat surface into a large log. Using the palm of your hand, gently push and pull the mixture to form it into a dough. Do not knead, you are just slightly manipulating it.

Steps:

• FILLING: Preheat oven to 375ºF. Pierce yams with fork several times. Place on baking sheet and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Cool yams slightly. Peel and puree in processor. Using electric mixer, cream 1/2 cup butter with sugar in large bowl until light. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 3 cups yam puree (reserve andy remainder for another use), half and half and next 9 ingredients. (Filling can be prepared 1 day ahead; refrigerate. Let stand 1 hour at room temperature before continuing.) CRUST: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly butter 10-inch pie pan. Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter in bowl. Press mixture into bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Pour pie filling into crust. Bake until center of pie is set, about 1 hour. Transfer to rack and cool completely. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead). Cut pie into wedges. Transfer to plates. Pour custard around pie. Sprinkle custard with pistachios and serve. POURING CUSTARD: Place milk in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add pod. Scald milk. Remove from heat. Cover and let steep 20 minutes. Using electric mixer, beat yolks and sugar in medium bowl until pale yellow and slowly dissolving ribbon forms when beaters are lifted. Strain milk. Gradually beat into egg mixture. Return mixture to sauce pan and stir over low heat until custard thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 12 minutes; do not bowl. Stain into bowl. Refrigerate until cool, stirring occasionally. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead).

Steps:

• Combine eggs, sugar, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange rind and milk.
• Add sweet potatoes, grated just before adding to milk mixture.
• Stir in melted butter.
• Pour filling into pie shell.
• Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 to 50 minutes, or until knife inserted 1 inch from edge comes out clean.
• Serve slightly warm or cold.

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse several times to combine 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and sugar.
• Add 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces remaining.
• Add 2 tablespoons ice water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if needed, add up to 2 more tablespoons ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not overmix.
• Turn out onto work surface; knead once or twice, until dough comes together. Flatten dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Place dough on a floured piece of parchment or waxed paper. Using knuckles, press edges of dough to help prevent cracking when you roll it out.
• Roll dough to a 14-inch round. Using parchment, lift and wrap dough around rolling pin; carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Gently fit into bottom and along sides of plate, being careful not to stretch or tear dough.
• Using kitchen shears or a paring knife, trim dough to a 1-inch overhang; fold under, and seal to form a rim. Crimp rim with fingertips. Prick bottom of pie dough all over with a fork, to prevent it from puffing up or shrinking in the oven. Refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.
• If prebaking the crust, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake until crust is firm and golden, about 20 minutes. Cool completely before filling.

Steps:

• CRUST: Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add 6 tablespoons melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips, adding 1 tablespoon melted butter if crumb mixture is dry. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish, building up sides 1/4 inch above rim of dish. Bake crust until set and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Cool on rack. DO AHEAD: Pie crust can be made 2 days ahead. Cover pie crust and let stand at room temperature. FILLING: Preheat oven to 350°F. Pierce sweet potatoes all over with fork; place potatoes on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until potatoes are very tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Cut potatoes open and scoop out pulp. Transfer pulp to processor and puree until smooth. Set aside 2 cups sweet potato puree for filling; cool completely (reserve any remaining puree for another use). DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine 2 cups sweet potato puree, sweetened condensed milk, and all remaining ingredients in large bowl; whisk until well blended and smooth. Pour filling into crust. Bake pie until puffed around edges and set in center, about 50 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool. Refrigerate pie at least 4 hours or overnight. MARSHMALLOW MERINGUE: Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Using rubber spatula, scrape marshmallow creme into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat egg whites and salt in another large bowl until foamy. Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, and beat until stiff and glossy peaks form. Add 1/2 cup beaten egg whites to marshmallow creme and stir with rubber spatula or spoon just until incorporated to lighten (marshmallow creme is very sticky and will be difficult to blend at first, but blending will become easier as remaining whites are folded in). Fold in remaining whites in two additions just until incorporated. Spread meringue over top of cold pie, mounding slightly in center and swirling with knife to create peaks. Bake pie just until peaks and ridges of marshmallow meringue are lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Let stand at room temperature until meringue is cool. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with cake dome; chill. Let pie stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Steps:

• On a lightly floured piece of parchment, roll out dough into a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch pie dish. Using kitchen shears, trim to a 1-inch overhang; fold under. Crimp edges or decorate as desired. Lightly prick bottom of dough with a fork. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in lower third. Line dough with parchment; fill with dried beans or rice. Bake until edges begin to turn golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove beans or rice and parchment; bake until bottom and sides are golden brown, about 20 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool completely. (Crust can be made up to a day in advance and covered tightly in foil.)
• Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Arrange sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast until tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 1 hour. Remove and let cool slightly; reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and place a foil-lined baking sheet below rack. When cool enough to handle, peel sweet potatoes, discarding skins. Place flesh in a food processor and process until smooth. (Puree can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days.)
• In a bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until well combined. Whisk in half-and-half. Add 1 1/4 cups sweet-potato puree; whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into crust (do not overfill). Cover edges with a foil ring, avoiding custard. Place pie dish directly on rack and bake until filling is just set in center, 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer to wire rack; let cool completely, at least 2 hours. Refrigerate, uncovered, until chilled, at least 4 hours or, loosely covered, up to 2 days.
• When ready to serve, spray kitchen shears or a knife with oil; cut marshmallows in half crosswise. Shingle on top of pie in concentric circles, cut-sides down. Move a small kitchen blowtorch back and forth across marshmallows until caramelized, or place pie under the broiler until toasted, 10 to 15 seconds.