All Spiced Up: Sweet Potato Pies

My house smells like a bakery. Not a bakery, the bakery I used to go to as a child. The fragrant nutmeg and cinnamon wafting through the shop as i eagerly awaited to sink my face into a pumpkin pie. Thats the excitement that I'm having now, ohhh the child hood memeories.

And sometimes if you were lucky the smell would have wafted into your clothes and when you got home you still smelt like a pumpkin pie, and yes, I admit it, still wanted to gobble up my coat in order to have some of that spice enter my mouth again.

But...I'm exauhsted. I was in the kitchen bustling around like a bee for nearly 2 hours trying to get these little suckers in the oven and out of my hands.
about 3 problems occured while this dilemma was taking place.

1. I couldnt find any ground coriander spice except for the one in mums spice pot which was half mixed with ground cumin seeds. Yay, a cumin flavoured savoury pie dish. (Note the utter sarcasm) I compromised and just threw it in anyway.

2. The pie filling mixture was too warm to mix with the egg mixture so I had a nervy b, and I decided to let it cool just incase it cooked the eggs and I was left with a mega disaster. So... this is what the result looked like, as I frantically ran around the kitchen

3. I had 36.. 36!!small patty shortcrust pies and I had a tonne of pie filling left over. I decided to go with the best way.. search 'what to do with left over pie filling' in google. No such luck and no good results. So I just bonged it all into a cake tin and left it in the ovens hands.

After those problems, the pie filling tasted pretty damn good

Sweet Potato Pie from Joy the Baker (Note: I dont own this recipe, the gorgeous Joy does)

2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 granulated sugar

1 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

2- 5oz cans evaporated milk (1 1/4 cups evaporated milk)

3 large eggs

1 Tablespoon vanilla

Method
Boil two medium sweet potatoes in their jackets in a covered pot over moderate flame, until sweet potatoes are very soft and tender.
Test with a thin sharp knife. If there is any resistence, boil longer. Knife should penetrate the sweet potatoes fast and smoothly. Remove potatoes from the water and allow to cool on a plate or wire rack.
When cool enough to handle, peel potatoes, cut into chunks and place in a large bowl. Mash potatoes thoroughly with a potato masher. There should be NO lumps.

Measure 2 cups and put in a medium sized pot with the packed brown sugar, all of the spices, salt, the 1/2 stick butter, and one 5 oz can of evaporated milk. Cook on low flame for about 5 minutes, whipping with a wire whisk until butter and brown sugar are melted down and mixture is well blended, smooth and starts to bubble. Remove from fire and let cool in pot.

In a medium sized bowl, beat the three eggs with a fork. Add the second 5oz can of evaporated milk, granulated sugar and vanilla to the eggs and continue beating until creamy. Pour the cooled sweet potato mixture from pot into a large bowl. Stir in the egg mixture. Blend thoroughly with a whisk and refrigerate mixture overnight or use immediately.

Heat oven 450 degrees with a cookie sheet inside. After heated. pour filling into the pie shell and put on the HOT cookie sheet. Bake at 450 for ten minutes then turn oven to 325 (300 with the convection fan turned on) and bake for 1 hour more, or until edges and center are raised and puffed and the center only shakes slightly.

Remove from oven. Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour before serving.

Take it out, put it on a plate and stuff your face with all that goodness

Pecan and Chocloate Pastries

I know, I know its been ages since i last updated. I finally got around to uploading the pictures on my laptop. Right now, im jamming to some Demi Lovato music so, im in the mood to put pictures up and write about the pecan and chocolate cigars.

I really wanted to try and make these, because i have never really worked with fillo pastry, but after my trusty google searching, i found out the secrets to getting your fillo pastry perfect. I found that you had to cover the pastry sheets with damp tea towels.. that way it stays moist and it doesnt dry out!
Right, lets get to it. Oh.. and by the way, did i not mention how delicious sweet and crispy they tasted?


So first up, I started with my pecan nuts and blended them in my mini food processor, until they were relativley blended and fine.

Cute food processor, huh?

After i had processed the pecans, i just combined them with cinnamon and brown sugar and threw them in a large bowl

then i measured some butter, and some olive oil


then i simply just put both of them into a small saucepan and melted them

then i got my yummy little chocolate chip morsles

i grinded them in a nut grinder, dont grind them in a food processor! you dont want chocolate dust, more like chocolate rubble, some buts chunky some bits tiny like this:

so, i had the butter and olive oil mixture, my pecan nut mixture, and my chocolate mixture.
they all remained seperate in their own bowls. and i got to work with brushing the pastry, filling, folding, filling then rolling! I dont actually have any pictures of me doing this (maybe because i was in a rush because i was scared that the pastry could dry out!)i have only one picture:

Underneath those chocolate chips, is the pecan and cinnamon mixture. after these chocolate chips went on i tucked in the longer sides about 1/2 a centimetre and then i carefully rolled it up so it looked like a pretty cigar

lightly brush over the top with the olive oil mixture so you get a shiny glaze after it's baked, i kind of went over the top with this.. but use in moderation!!

put them in to the oven, for about 15-20 mins and they will turn out like this

Scrumptious!



Perfect Pecan and Chocolate Cigars
- 100g pecan nuts

- 2 tsps ground cinnamon

- 1 tsp brown sugar

- 125g butter

- 1/4 olive oil

- 250g choppped milk/dark chocolate


Method
Preheat oven to 180c degrees
Ground pecan nuts in a mini food processor, and combine with cinnamon and brown sugar. Set aside.
Melt butter and olive oil in a small saucepan over low heat until melted. Set aside.
Chop milk or dark chocolate and place in a small bowl.
Cover fillo pastry with a wet tea towel, to prevent it from drying out. Working with about 3 sheets at a time, cut in half so you are left with a long rectangle. Brush half of the rectangle and place in 2 tsps of pecan mixture. Fold ver, so you have a square. Brush the square with olive oil mixture again, and place 2 tsps of chocolate chips. Roll the vertical longer sides in 1cm and starting from the chocolate end, roll into a cigar shape. Place on lined tray and gaze the tops again, with olive oil mixture. Bake in the oven for about 15-20 mins or until pastry is a pale gold.

EAT.