Leigh's Sweet Potato Pie

Here's what Leigh's looked like the other day when he made it (no nut topping, after cooling).

Let's start with some clarity on "SERVES 8-12" which is a lie from the off because it serves two greedy pie-lovers, or maybe 5 or 6 people who aren't bothered about seconds.

This is Leigh's beloved pie recipe which he makes for family gatherings and is deeply respected in the family circle of trust. It is never not welcomed, not made too often so as to keep it in the special zone - and never tampered with.

And it is Autumn/Fall/Halloween-perfect, being myriad hues of warm orange and brown.

It is an adaptation of a recipe by Isa Chandra Moskowitz - you can see the state of the original recipe here, and gauge its use.

Isa says of this pie:

"Some people think sweet potatoes should only be a side dish and not a dessert; those people are not to be trusted so keep your distance."

She is right, and I was one of them, believing potatoes were for chipping and roasting and putting salt on, and this orange thing with the occasional hairy elements was Not A Potato And Do Not Even Start with the health claim bit.

Then he pie'd it, and one day roasted a couple with sloshes of oil and salt, and I my view was corrected. It was the fat and salt.

Anyway. It looks like a faff, but it isn't, it's just a bit time consuming and there are a lot of ingredients, but it's worth every minute of preparation for its cheesecake-like, creamy, rich pud centre and crunchy sweet encasement. 

Serve with nice cold non-dairy cream, whipped ideally (even the stuff that comes in a spray can).

For the digestive biscuit crust:

40g/11/2oz walnuts, toasted

40g/11/2oz hazelnuts, toasted

40g/11/2oz almonds, toasted

225g/8oz digestive biscuits

4 tablespoons dark brown sugar

Pinch each of ground ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and allspice.

For the filling:

500g/11/1 and one-quarter lb sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons arrowroot

90g/31/2oz sugar

125ml/4fl oz soy milk

3 tablespoons rapeseed oil

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

175g/6oz firm silken tofu

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamonFor the topping:

4 tablespoons non-hydrogenated margarine

4 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

40g/11/2oz whole almonds, toasted

40g/11/oz whole hazelnuts, toasted

40g/11/2oz walnuts, toasted.

Do this:

Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. Bake the sweet potatoes until tender, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, make the crust:

> Grind the nuts in a food processor, crumble in the digestivebiscuits, and grind into crumbs. Add the sugar and spices, pulse to combine. Add the oil and pulse to moisten the crumbs. Press into a 23cm/9in (preferably glass) pie plate, set aside.

Make the filling:

> When the sweet potatoes are done, remove them from the oven and let them cool. Purée in a food processor or blender. 

>Add all other filling ingredients and purée until smooth. Pour the filling into the crust. 

> Bake at 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 until the centre moves only slightly when the dish is shaken, covering with foil if the crust browns too quickly, about 40 minutes.

> While the pie bakes, prepare the topping: let them cool. 

Make the topping:

> Stir the margarine, sugar, and maple syrup in heavy medium-size

saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat

and boil for 1 minute. 

> Mix in the nuts, coating them completely.

> Spoon the hot nut mixture over the pie. Continue baking until the

topping bubbles, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool

completely.

- CONSUME -

...and here's one from the information superhighway, so it's all primped for the camera.