Sweet Potato Pie with Hazelnut Streusel Topping

By KSmitherman

Ingredients

• Topping:
• 1 pd. sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup margarine or butter
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 tbs. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tbs. finely shredded orange peel
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and ginger
• 3 slightly beaten eggs
• 1 cup half and half or light cream
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• 2 tbs. margarine or butter
• 1/4 cup hazelnuts or almonds

Preparation

Step 1

Peel sweet potatoes. Cut in quarters. Cook, covered in enough boiling salted water to cover 25 to 35 minutes or until tender.Drain and mash. (You should have 1 1/2 cups) Cut up margarine; add to hot potatoes , stirring until melted.
Meanwhile, prepare cornmeal pastry by stirring together 3/4 cup of the flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt. Cut in 1/3 cup shortening using pastry blender, until pieces or the size of small peas.sprinkle 3 to 5 tbs. cold water, 1 tbs at a time, over mixture, tossing with a fork after each addition until all is moistened. Form into ball.
Roll out on a lightly floured surface into a 12 inch circle. Place into 9 inch pie pan and trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of plate. Fold under the overhanging pastry; crimp edge high.
For filling, add brown sugar, orange peel, spices and potatoes. Stir in eggs and half and half or light cream. Place pastry shell on oven rack; pour in filling. Cove edges with foil. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.
For Hazelnut Streusel Topping; Mix 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup of the brown sugar, 1/8 tsp of each spice. Cut in 2 tbs. butter. Stir in nuts.
Remove foil. Sprinkle with Nut Streusel topping. Bake 20 to 25 more minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool

Make Ahead Tip: Refrigerate prepared Cornmeal crust and Nut topping covered up to 3 days.