158 – Sweet Potato Pie with a Moroccan Twist

Ingredients :

• 5 1/2 ounces of Graham Crackers (o rbutter cookies of your choice)
• 5 1/2 ounces of roasted unsalted whole almonds
• 6 tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water
• A pinch of salt

Ingredients for the Filling

• 2 pounds of sweet potatoes
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup of packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• Spices: 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, and a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Directions :

Step 1 – Preparing the Crust
1. In a food processor, mix the grapham crackers, almonds, brown sugar, and pinch of salt until you get a fine powder.
2. Place the crust powder in a bowl and mix in the melted butter and orange blossom water.
3. Use fingers to mix the crust.
4. Place the crust in your baking pan (I am using a 9-inch round baking pan) and use fingers and fists to spread eavenly.
5. Preheat your oven to 350F degrees.
6. Bake the crust for 5 minutes.
7. Take the crust out from the oven and let it cool down on your counter while preparing the pie filling.
Note: You can cover the crust with a plastic wrap and aliminum foil and place it in the fridge for up to 4 days. This way, you can prepare the pie filling later to save time.

Step 2 – Preparing Sweet Potato Filling
1. Preheat your oven to 420 F degrees. Peel and slice the sweet potatoes.
2. Cover a baking pan with aluminum foil and grease it with some butter. Place the potato slices on the baking pan and bake for 45 minutes or until they become very tender that you can mash them with a fork. Stir the potatoes (while baking in the oven) from time to time.
3. Using a hand-held mixer (or food processor) puree the sweet potatoes with the evaporated milk.
4. Add the eggs one by one to the potato mixture and continue mixing and mashing the mixture.
5. Add the white sugar, brown sugar, spices, vanilla extract, and orange blossom water to the potato mixture. Continue mixing with the hand-help mixer (or food processor) until you get a very smooth texture. It should be thick, similar to whipped cream.

Step 3 – Assembling and Baking the Sweet Potato Pie
1. Preheat your oven to 400 F degrees.
2. Pour pumpkin filling into the crust. Even out the filling using a spatula.
3. Bake for 15 minutes on 400°.  After 15 minutes reduce the heat to 350 F degrees and continue baking for another 45 minutes.
4. You know that the pie is ready by gently pressing the center of the pie. It should feel firm.
5. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool down on your kitchen counter.
6. Serve at room temperature or warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream!