Sweet Potato Pie with Pralines

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

2 tablespoons Crisco, butter flavored

5 tablespoons water, ice cold

Filling

3 pounds sweet potatoes, baked, cooled, de-skinned and pureed

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 can evaporated milk

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup dark corn syrup

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

Praline Pecans

2 cups whole pecans, raw

1/2 cup light brown sugar

4 tablespoons heavy cream

1 tablespoon butter

Cooking spray

Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

1 tablespoon amaretto

Instructions

1.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.  Add butter and shortening and mix with a fork or pastry cutter until it’s just blended and looks crumbly.  Add ice water a tablespoon at a time and mix until dough forms.  Knead on a floured surface, roll into a ball, wrap tightly and place in refrigerator for at least one hour to overnight.

2.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll the dough out to 1/8 inch and lay into pie dish or pan.  Trim edges and fold over decoratively.  Price bottom of shell.  Line edges with foil and put pie weights or dried beans in the middle.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Remove weights and foil and bake again for 10 minutes.

3.  In a very large bowl, mix pumpkin, cream, milk sugars, butter, eggs, vanilla, corn syrup and spices until smooth.  Pour into pie dish.* Bake pie for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.  Turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake another 40-50 minutes or until middle sets.

4.  Spray baking pan with cooking spray.  While pie cools, combine nuts, sugar, cream and butter and spread into baking pan.  Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes or until the sugar sets.   Remove from oven and immediately spread on wax paper.  Place in freezer until cool.

5.  For whipped cream, combine cream, sugar, vanilla and amaretto and mix with hand mixer until thickened.  Dollop on pie and sprinkle nuts on top.

*If any filling remains, freeze and use for later.