Cazuela Pie

This pie is kind of pain to make, but it is so tasty that I go through the pain once a year at Thanksgiving. It is wonderful! Source: In the Sweet Kitchen Regan Daley Yield: 2 9-inch pies

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lb orange sweet potatoes (aka yams), peeled and cut into small egg-sized chunks
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 2 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
• 5 whole cloves
• 1 star anise, crumbled
• 1-1/2-inch-long piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 4 cups solid-pack pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp light brown sugar, tightly packed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup canned coconut milk, well mixed
• 2 9-inch pie crusts, unbaked and chilled

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. Place the sweet potato chunks in a single layer in one large or two medium shallow, ceramic baking dish(es).
3. Add the water, dividing it between the two dishes if necessary. The water should be about 1/2 inch deep; add more if the level is lower than this.
4. Scatter the pieces of of cinnamon stick, cloves, pieces of star anise and ginger slices among the sweet potatoes.
5. Cover the baking dishes securely with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven.
6. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
7. Removed the potatoes from the dishes and force them through a ricer, food mill, or sieve. (Laura's not: I use the food processor; it's way easier.) Let cool.
8. Strain the baking liquid, discarding the solids, and measure. You want about 1/2 cup of liquid; if less, add water to bring up to 1/2 cup; if more, simmer to reduce to 1/2 cup. Let the liquid cool.
9. Increase the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
10. In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin and sweet potato purees and stir to blend well.
11. Beat in the eggs, then stir in the melted butter and reserved spice liquid.
12. In a separate bowl, stir together the granulated and brown sugars with a wire whisk.
13. Sift the flour and salt over the sugars and stir to blend.
14. Add the sugar-flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture and stir well until there are no pockets of sugar visible.
15. Blend in the coconut milk.
16. Scrape the filling into two chilled pie shells, dividing it evenly and smoothing the tops.
17. Place the pies in the lower half of the preheated oven and bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, turning the pies several times so they bake evenly. Cover the edges with aluminum foil, if they begin to brown too much.
18. The point of a thin-bladed knife should come out clean when inserted into the center of the filling.
19. Transfer the pies to wire racks and cool completely before serving.

Alternate Yam Prep

To use canned yams (in syrup) instead of fresh, follow these directions. (Work in progress. I tried this once and it turned out okay, but not as good as the "real" directions.)

1. Put the spices and water in a small saucepan and bring the water to a boil.
2. Simmer the spices for 15 minutes, stirring occassionally.
3. Drain and mash the canned yams.
4. Prepare as above, starting with step 8.