Sweet Potato Pie with Streusel Topping

For Christmas in 1993 my mom gave me a cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens called Heritage of America Cookbook.  I've kept it in my collection all these years because it has a many beautiful pictures and a lot of interesting history about the early years of cooking in America and where a lot of recipes originated.  Some recipes familiar to me, others not so much.  Every now and then I would pull it off the shelf and read the stories and go through some of the recipes.

Only recently have I begun making some things from it, testing it out.  After all these years.  Only twenty-one years!  ;-)

Here's a new favorite recipe of mine.  I've made it using almonds for the streusel each time.

Sweet Potato Pie with Hazelnut Streusel Topping

1 pound sweet potatoes

1/4 cup butter

Cornmeal Pastry (recipe follows)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tbsp. finely shredded orange peel
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 slightly beaten eggs
1 cup half-and-half or light cream
Hazelnut Streusel Topping (recipe follows)

Peel sweet potatoes, cut off woody ends and portions.  Cut into quarters.  Cook, covered, in enough boiling salted water to cover for 25 to 35 minutes until tender.  Add butter to hot potatoes and mash and stir.  You should have 1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes with butter melted in.

Meanwhile, prepare Cornmeal Pastry.  Roll dough into a 12 inch circle and ease into a 9 inch pie plate.  Trim and flute edges.  Do not prick pastry.

For filling: Add brown sugar, orange peel, and spices to potatoes.  Stir in eggs and half-and-half.  Place pastry shell on the oven rack and pour in the filling.  Cover edge of pie with foil strips.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Remove foil.  Sprinkle top of pie with streusel topping.  Bake another 20 to 25 minutes more until knife inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool.  Serves 8.

Cornmeal Pastry:  Mix 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Cut in 1/3 cup butter or coconut oil until the size of small peas.  Sprinkle 3 to 5 Tbsp. cold water, 1 Tbsp. at a time with a fork until all moistened.  Form into a ball.

Hazelnut Streusel Topping:  Mix 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg.  Cut in 2 Tbsp. butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in 1/4 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts or almonds.

Nutrition information per serving:  456 calories.  7 g protein, 52 g carbohydrate, 25 g total fat, (6 gram saturated) 91 mg cholesterol, 214 mg sodium, 341 mg potassium.

Note:  Since I'm counting my calories and don't want to deprive myself, I cut the pie slices in smaller pieces.  I get 16 slices out of one pie.  Oh, don't forget the whipped cream!