Sweet Potato Pie- Bánh Khoai Lang Đỏ Nướng Kiểu Mỹ

Today I learn to make Patti Labelle's Sweet Potato Pie  via The Washington Post  and Today.com/food with some adjustments.  This is not the recipe from The Walmart Patti Labelle's Sweet Potato Pie which has bee flying out of the shelves after a musical review by James Wright on youtube.  It is from her best selling cookbook" Labelle cuisine: recipes to sing about."

I use pie weight in blind bake the all butter crust and spread sugar-butter mixture in the hot/warm baked shell.  Spices is added to melted butter first in the filling.  Guess where I learn those tricks from?  America test kitchen and Cook Country' Sweet Potato Pie. The filling is kept the same as in Patti's recipe except a teaspoon of pure vanilla extract and heavy cream instead of half & half.  I baked sweet potatoes 2 days ago and chilled in the fridge which I think make them drier and hard to smooth the filling out but the taste is heavenly for sweet potato fans.

Make one 9-inch pie

For the crust

   1.5 cups all-purpose flour and extra for working surface

   1/2 teaspoon salt

   1/2 cup (1 stick/4 ounces )cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cube and 1 Tablespoon melt unsalted butter

   1/2 cup ice cold water, divided

   1/4 cup light/dark brown sugar
   A 9-inch deep pie plate

For the filling

   3 large sweet potato (Orange flesh) about 2 3/4 pounds 

   7 Tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

   3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

   1 teaspoon nutmeg 

   1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

   1/2 cup granulated sugar

   2 large egg, slightly beaten

   1/4 cup half & half or heavy cream

   1/2 teaspoon salt

   1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Whipped cream to serve (optional)
   1 cup whipped cream
   2 Tablespoon sugar, powder sugar or maple syrup

For the pie crust: 

1.  Put the flour,salt in a food processor.  Pulse a few times.  Then scatter butter on top.  Pulse until the mixture form large crumbs and some of butter is in pea size pieces about 8-10 pulses. Sprinkle 1/4 cup water and pulse until seeing large clumps formed without any trace of dry flour about 7-8 pulses. Add more water by one tablespoon at a time if needed.  Shape the dough into a 6 inch diameter round disc, wrap in plastic and chill at least 1/2 hour or overnight. 
2. On a slightly floured surface( silicon pad is a bonus) roll the dough into 13-inch round.  Start to roll from the center out near the edge and turn the dough about 45 o before the next roll.  Sprinkle flour lightly on the dough, working surface and the roller if the dough gets sticky.  Fold the dough into 4 and transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate.  Ease the dough into the bottom and sides do not stretch the dough. Trim the overhanging dough 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate and fold it under itself.  The folded edge should be flush with edge of pie plate.  Using thumbs and forefinger -one thumb from inside and another thumb and forefinger from outside to form a decorated rim.  The dough rim should rest partially on the lip of pie plate to help keep the edge of the crust stays up during baking.  Cover and chill in the fridge at least 1 hour up to 2 days.
3. Preheat oven to 400 oF with a rack in center.   Line the chilled pie with parchment paper and fill it with pie weight or dry bean/pennies. Bake about 15 minutes, the sides look set and dry.  Remove parchment paper and pie weight, rotate pie plate and bake until the edges are light golden and the bottom looks opaque and slightly drier.  Remove from oven. Turn the heat down to 350 oF
4. Stir dark brown sugar in melted butter and spread onto the bottom of hot the pie shell before the filling is pour in.  

Make the fill and baking the pie

1. While the dough resting, Rub and rinse sweet potatoes well.  If use microwave, poke all over sweet potatoes with a folk or knife to prevent exploded.  Cook until soft, tender about 15-20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.  If cook on the stove, cover sweet potatoes with cold water, bring it to a boil.  Reduce heat down to simmer on medium or medium low, cover, cook until tender about 30 minutes.  Check by poking through the potato with a chopstick ( or knife or folk) it is done if no resistant.  Cut cooked sweet potatoes in half and set aside to cool down.  When it cools enough to handle, scoop 3 cups flesh potato into a food processor bowl.  Melt butter with spice in microwave 15-20 seconds or on the stove.  Add spice butter and other ingredients to potatoes; cover and process until really smooth.  
2.  Preheat the oven to 350 oF with a rack at the lowest position.  Pour the filling into prepared pie crush, and bake until the filling is puff and set near the edges and  the center is 165 oF and  still jiggled slightly when pie is shaken about 40-50 minutes .  Let the pie cools completely on a wire rack about 2 hours.  The pie edge will deflate lightly when cooling. Refrigerate up to two days before serving. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.