SWEET POTATO PIE By Alyze Henderson
Alyze says this is best served with vanilla ice cream. This is an old family recipe, passed down from Mama Willie B. Henderson from Lexington, Mississippi.
Ingredients

4 Sweet Potatoes (Yams)
2-1/2 cup Sugar
6 Eggs
2-1/2 TBS Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp Nutmeg
1-1/2 lb Butter (melted)

Instructions
· Boil Sweet Potatoes with skin on until soft. Drain water, then peel.
· Add all ingredients. Mix on a high speed mixer until fluffy with no lumps.
· Adjust sugar to taste.
· Pour into 9-1/2” deep dish with your favorite pie crust.
· Bake for 90 minutes at 350 – 375 degrees.
· It will be firm when it is done.

WINTER YAPPLE (YAMS AND APPLES)
Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs. Yams (or Sweet Potatoes)
3 ea Apples (tart), unpeeled, cored, sliced
3/4 cup Orange juice
3/4 tsp Ginger, grated
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Allspice
1/4 tsp Nutmeg

Instructions:
· In a medium saucepan, cook unpeeled potatoes in boiling water 25 minutes.
· In a medium skillet, over high heat, heat apples and orange juice with ginger, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Cover and cook until apples soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Uncover, reduce heat; simmer apples a few minutes more.
· Peel and slice cooked sweet potatoes and add to apple mixture. Mix gently and heat thoroughly.

SWEET POTATO HASH
Ingredients

2 cup Yellow Onions (diced)
4 cup Yukon Gold Potatoes (diced, skin on)
4 cup Sweet Potatoes (peeled and diced)
1 TBS Granulated Garlic
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 TBS Salt
1 tsp Fresh Thyme (chopped)
¼ cup Corn Oil

Instructions
· Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
· Roast at 400 degrees until potatoes are just tender.

HASH BROWNED SWEET POTATOES
Ingredients

½ lb Bacon (diced)
1 cup Onions (chopped)
to taste Salt and Pepper
1 TBS Garlic (chopped)
2 lb Sweet potatoes (peel, grate)

Instructions
· In a large skillet, render the bacon until crispy, about 8 minutes. Add the onions. Season with salt and pepper. Saute the onions until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Saute for about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and serve warm.

ESCAROLE TORTA WITH SWEET POTATO HASH BROWN CRUST
Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds Sweet potatoes (peel, coarsely grate)
1 ea Onion (fine chopped)
2½ TBS All-purpose Flour
as needed Freshly grated nutmeg
1 TBS olive oil (plus more for brushing)
1 ea Red onion (coarsely chopped)
2 clove Garlic (minced)
4 cups escarole (chopped)
6 ea Eggs (beaten)
1½ cups Grated provolone cheese
1 cup Milk
1½ TBS Oregano (chopped)

Instructions
· Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a colander set in the sink, combine the sweet potatoes, yellow onion and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Let drain for 15 minutes, then squeeze out the excess liquid. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the flour and a pinch each of pepper and nutmeg; toss well. Press the mixture into a generously oiled 10-inch pie plate, pushing it up the side and onto the rim to form a crust; brush lightly with oil. Bake the crust for about 25 minutes, or until slightly crisp; cover the rim with foil if it browns too quickly.
· Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Add the red onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat until softened but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add the escarole and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer the escarole to a colander set in the sink and press out as much liquid as possible; let cool slightly.
· In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with 1 cup of the provolone cheese and the milk and oregano. Add the wilted escarole and season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into the sweet potato crust and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
· Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake the torta for about 45 minutes, or until the center is set; cover it loosely with foil if it browns too quickly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
· SERVE WITH: Sliced ham and thick slices of bread spread with apple butter.

SWEET POTATO PECAN PIE
Ingredients

1 ea Unbaked pastry shell (9”)
1 lb Sweet Potato (cook, peel)
1/4 cup Butter
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 oz)
1 tsp Grated orange rind
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 tsp Ground cinnamon
1 tsp Ground nutmeg
¼ tsp Salt
2 ea Eggs
as needed Pecan Topping (see below)

Instructions
· Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
· In large mixer bowl, beat hot sweet potatoes with butter until smooth. Add remaining ingredients except pastry shell and Pecan Topping; mix well. Pour into pastry shell. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven; spoon Pecan Topping evenly over top. bake 20 to 25 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool. Serve warm or chilled. Refrigerate leftovers.

PECAN TOPPING
In small mixer bowl, combine 1 egg, 3 tablespoons dark corn syrup, 3 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon margarine or butter, melted, and teaspoon maple flavoring; mix well. Stir in 1 cup chopped pecans.

WORLD’S SIMPLEST CANDIED YAMS
Ingredients

6 ea Sweet potatoes
½ cup Sugar
¼ cup Water
3 TBS Butter

Instructions
· Scrub sweet potatoes thoroughly. Drop them in enough boiling salted water to cover sweet potatoes. Cover pan. Lower heat and cook 15 to 20 minutes. Drain; peel sweet potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Put into buttered baking dish.
· Combine sugar, water and butter. Boil 2-3 minutes, then pour over cooked, sliced sweet potatoes. Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 30 minutes or until lightly brown. Spoon syrup over sweet potatoes several times while baking. Lemon juice or lemon slices on top of sweet potatoes while baking will improve flavor and help retain their bright color. You can add some crushed Pineapple on top, about 15 minutes before it is done.

RUM-GLAZED SWEET POTATO GRATIN
Ingredients

3 lb Sweet potatoes (pricked w/ a fork)
3 ea Golden Delicious apple (peel, cut lengthwise into 1/8ths)
¼ cup Fresh lemon juice
1 cup Chestnuts (roasted and halved)
6 TBS Unsalted butter
½ cup Brown Sugar (firmly packed)
½ cup Honey
2 TBS Dark rum
½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
¼ tsp Ground Ginger
¼ tsp Ground Mace
as needed Parmesan Cheese

Instructions
· Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
· Bake the sweet potatoes in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until tender. Let cool. Peel sweet potatoes and cut them diagonally into 1/4-inch slices.
· In a bowl toss the apples with the lemon juice and arrange them with the sweet potato slices in a buttered 14-inch gratin dish. Sprinkle with the chestnuts.
· In a stainless steel or enameled saucepan, cook the remaining ingredients over moderate heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Spoon the mixture oven the sweet potatoes and apples and bake the gratin in the middle of the oven, basting occasionally, for 30 minutes, or until the apples are just tender and the sweet potatoes are heated through.
· The uncooked gratin can be assembled 1 day ahead and kept refrigerated, covered. Bake, uncovered, basting occasionally, for 40 minutes.
· Sprinkle a little freshly grated Parmesan Cheese on tope, then put the gratin under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat until the edges are browned lightly.

SEXY SWEET POTATO CHEESECAKE
Ingredients

1 ea Sweet Potato Yam
1 loaf Pound Cake (about 20 thin slices)
3 pkgs Cream Cheese (room temp)
1 cup Granulated sugar
3 ea Eggs
1 cup Heavy cream
1 tsp Lemon extract
2 tsp Vanilla extract
2 tsp Ground nutmeg

Instructions
· Boil Sweet potato until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Cool, peel, mash, and set aside. (Should have 1 cup).
· Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 (9-inch) pie plates with thin slices of pound cake. Firmly press into bottom of pans. Set aside.
· In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add sugar. Mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each. Pour in cream. Mix well. Add mashed sweet potato. Mix well. Stir in lemon extract, vanilla extract, and nutmeg. Mix well. Pour into lined pans.
· Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until center is almost set. Remove from the oven and cool at least 1 hour. Remove from pan, if desired, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish as desired.