Baking Pies

Just like last year, I'm baking two pies the day before Thanksgiving.  One pie is a sweet potato pecan pie from Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Cookbook.  This is Michael's favorite pie served with a dollop of vanilla ice cream.  The second pie is my choice and I chose sweet potato/butternut squash pie.

This year's sweet potato pie recipe comes from Lorraine, the farmer's wife from Eatwell Farm.  Last year I made a Southern sweet potato pie from a recipe on http://www.thefreshloaf.com  It was excellent, but this year I wanted to try Lorraine's.  Here's the recipe--

Sweet Potato/Butternut Squash Pie

1 lb. sweet potatoes, roasted
1/2 lb. butternut squash, roasted
1/2 cup butter, softened (lets say just about melted)
1/4 cup maple syrup (yup, good pies doesn't come cheaply)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 TBSP molasses
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 eggs
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp nutmeg (fresh ground, this seemed like alot, I only used about 1/4 tsp because that's all I had on hand)

Bake the sweet potatoes and the squash for 1 hour.  Allow to cool.  Remove skins and save the delicious pulp.  Mash well, or mix well in a mixer.  Add the butter and mix well.  Stir in sugar, maple syrup, buttermilk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Beat on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.  Pour filling into an unbaked deep dish pie crust.  Bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.