Must it be a pie? I have some nice press-in tart recipes that don't burn, mostly because of the tart's shorter cooking time.

I know it's probably against your nature to do this... but go ahead and try the frozen pie crust dough from the store. NOT the frozen pie crust shells, but the rolled up pie crust dough (next to the butter and other canned doughs in my store).

I've used them a couple of times and they work well.

Or, you could go ahead and submit to Mr. Kimball's Cook's Illustrated version if you really need to make it from scratch.

Good luck,
Graydon
http://makoskitchen.com

This is the most awesome sweet potato recipe I've ever eaten. It's more like dessert than a side dish. I don't know why you couldn't put this in a pie shell. I also have an equally good pumpkin pie recipe that has a sweet spiciness that sets it apart from others. I suppose you could add the topping from the sweet potato recipe to it if the topping you request is a must.

I don't know what to tell you about the pie crust. I wish I could make it for you. Pies are my specialty. Is there a bakery in town that would sell you a made-from-scratch pie crust? The frozen crusts from the store are just wrong,,,,,although most people don't make true pie crust and probably wouldn't object to a frozen one.

What part of the pie crust do you struggle with? The mixing? The rolling? Let me know, I've taught many people how to make pie crust.

Sweet Potato Casserole
4 15 oz cans sweet potatoes or yams
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, soft or melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsps vanilla
1/3 cup milk

Mash potatoes until chunky, mix in sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and milk. Pour into sprayed 13 x 9” glass dish

Topping

1/3 cup melted butter
1 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cups chopped pecans

Sprinkle over potato mixture. Bake, uncovered, 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Dude’s Pumpkin Pie

Combine in order:
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 can pumpkin w/1 Tbsp melted butter
½ cup brown sugar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp mace
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup white Karo syrup
½ cup honey
½ cup evaporated milk

Mix ingredients well, pour into 10” uncooked pastry shell. Bake at 350o for 45 minutes or until knife, inserted into the center of pie, comes out clean.

Hi.
A super painless cookie pie crust that cannot go wrong: akin to your gingersnap crust, but easier - bash some butter cookies in a plastic bag with a rolling pin until they're a nice small crumb consistency. (3/4 of a package of standard issue package of biscuits usually good). Put in a bowl. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler - probably about 150-200 grams. As soon as it's melted, mix the chocolate with the butter cookie crumbs. Press pulpy mixture into pie tin/dish molding a crust from the mix. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, allowing crust to harden. Continue on with filling. Maybe not the perfect match for sweet potatoes, but not tooo bad either. Good luck. (I use a similar crust for a no-bake coconut/ginger/lime pie. Very nice.)

Dear FW:

I'm going to agree with Graydon... except he said "frozen" but I think he meant: get the "refrigerated" pie crusts in the refrigerated section of the store (near dairy) - I believe they are made by Pillsbury. I, like you am not a pie crust creator - and these work well for me! (After all, would the DoughBoy steer you wrong?) lol.

2 words: dough boy. he IS your friend, if you will let him. Pie crust terrifies me and I haven't even tried it. If the Good Lord wanted us to slave over a pastry sheet with ice water he wouldn't have made the Pillsbury Doughboy. Poppin' Fresh!!!

I can't make a pie crust to save my life either. So, I wimped out and I use a shortbread dough...AND it tastes so incredible compared to a regular pie dough. Try this one...

http://feastandfamine.com/shortbread_crust.html

Trust me, it works like a charm and you look like a genious, rather then a fool...

I would be happy to share my pie-crust making tips with you, and encourage you not to give up. Every crust I made was a total disaster until one day it just clicked, and since then I've been pretty consistent.

I've also got a great alternative for you, which I'll post below. It's not my recipe, but it's a great recipe from Bon Appetite that I used to make in my crust-phobic days.

After reading your description of the failed gingersnap crust, two problems occured to me: 1) Your oven runs too hot. (Do you have a thermometer?) or 2) The crust was taking too much heat from the bottom, which can occur when the pie is too close to the bottom element, or the door is opening and closing a lot.

Good luck with the pie!

WEET POTATO PIE WITH THREE-NUT TOPPING
We've added a topping of walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds to a southern favorite.

Crust
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted
1/3 cup almonds, toasted
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling
18 ounces sweet potatoes
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup whipping cream

Topping
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/3 cup whole almonds, toasted
1/3 cup whole hazelnuts, toasted
1/3 cup walnuts, toasted

For Crust: Coarsely grind all nuts in processor. Blend in graham cracker crumbs, sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Add butter and blend in using on/off turns until moist crumbs form. Press crumbs onto bottom and sides of 9-inch deep-dish glass pie dish. Set aside.

For Filling: Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake sweet potatoes until tender, about 1 hour. Cool potatoes; peel. Puree in processor. Transfer to bowl and whisk in eggs. Cook butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat until melted and brown. Add sugar, honey and pumpkin pie spice and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in cream. Add butter mixture to potato puree; blend until smooth.

Pour filling into crust. Bake until center moves only slightly when pan is shaken, covering with foil if crust browns too quickly, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, Prepare Topping: Stir first 3 ingredients in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil 1 minute. Mix in nuts, coating completely.

Spoon hot nut mixture over pie. Continue baking until topping bubbles, about 5 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely.

Serves 8.

Bon Appétit
November 1992

Find a Fannie Farmer cookbook. Look up the recipe for Basic Pastry. Follow it exactly. It has never failed me in *mumble* years of making pies.

In particular:
* Use Crisco. Not butter, and not liquid vegetable oil. That's where the layers come from. (Recipes for butter pastry exist. Try them once you've got the basic stuff working.)

* Don't add too much water, just enough to hold it all together.

* Don't refrigerate before rolling. If you do, the shortening will harden and the individual crust layers will separate.

* Roll it thin. Most commercial bakeries don't, which is why most commercial pies are (IMO) disgusting.

Good luck!

Assuming two things: 1. If what I have read on your blogs about you is true, and 2. if you are using your hands to mix the crust like one should, your pie crust probably fails for the same reason mine do - our hands are too warm. My cousin with the always-cold hands is a pastry whiz. Me? The refrigeated roll-up kind is all I use any more. And few people, if any, can ever tell. My French Coconut Pie (with one of those crusts) nets me a lot of compliments I don't really deserve!

The best pie crust I've used is by fellow blogger Elise at: http://www.elise.com/recipes/archives/002141all_butter_pie_crust_with_almonds.php

It never fails me, and has a wonderful almond flavor.

Good luck!

Best,
Deb

I will recommend the Pine nut crust, it has a great flavor and it's quite easy. plus you get 3 for the work of 1.
check out the recipe at epicurios
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/231350

good luck
R

What about an oil crust? No need to worry about hot hands with that one. Or maybe a tart crust? As long as you don't make it too thick it should do fine as a pie crust. Might be a bit on the sweet side but I find it easier to work with than pie crust.

I totally agree with other suggestions to go with the Dough Boy. No one will know. And if you think someone suspects it isn't homemade just give them the evil eye. I'm sure they'll get the message.

Yup, yup, yup, have to agree with those recommending Pillsbury's refrigerated. I make good pie crust, I've made good pie crust since I was 8, but the stuff in the red box is almost identical to mine so what's the point in messing with all the chilling and rolling and flour everywhere?

That said, gathered from various posts above, the idea of a shortbread cookie style crust in a tart pan with a sweet potato filling and a nice thick crunchy top streusel top just sounds yummy. Might have to try that myself.

If you're really determined to get good at making plain ol' pie crust I suggest Cook's Illustrated or Rose Levy Beranbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible.

Piece of cake, baby. Or rather, piece of pie.
This crust is a liquid fat crust and can't be destroyed. Best part is, there's no rolling out (so no tearing and sticking and swearing). You just mush it into place with your hands directly in the pie tin. Although, you shouldn't use a tin for this, glass or solid metal is required.
1.5 cups flour
salt
1 tsp sugar
-mix above together with your hands in the baking pan, stir in
.5 cups olive oil
2 tbsp milk
.5 tsp almond extract
-mix with your hands until all flour is incoporated, then push flat with your hands
-Bake as with any pie.

I was just watching Alton Brown last night on Good Eats and he made the perfect pie crust. There were alot of steps but here is the link:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_9747,00.html

Alton Brown also has a Sweet Potato Pie recipe that I'm using (along with his pie crust recipe) for Thanksgiving this year.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_24965,00.html

Pillsbury? Bah! Humbug! It's only acceptable if your guests don't know what pie crust is supposed to taste like.
Which I guess is mostly true these days, unfortunately.
I can't use it. My grandmother would come back from the grave to haunt me.
The commenter who mentioned warm hands may have a point. I actually mix the ingredients with a pastry blender, not by hand. Also, avoid bright (and warm) lights shining directly on your workspace.

Ignore the naysayers. Pillsbury crusts are fine. (I believe pie crust used to be made with lard, which many people can't or won't eat. And I think Crisco is the horrid fat product we are supposed to avoid this week.) Forget the piecrust, it is simply too dangerous.

Skip the pie and offer them large quantities of lemon drops and they won't care if they have pie or not.

Go get it out of the case at the store, not the freezer case but with the biscuits. Pilsbury makes it and it tastes as good (really better IMO) as any homemade crust I have ever eaten and then you can concentrate on the filling. NO ONE WILL KNOW IF YOU DON'T TELL THEM!!! I PROMISE!!!

Ummm, taking a different approach...why did you volunteer (or accept the assignment) to do pie? You're a strong woman. Stand up for yourself! There's nothing wrong with "I don't DO pie!"

OTOH, Epiblog offers "one I baked last year, a Pumpkin Pie with Spiced Walnut Streusel; it has the proper amount of crunch and sweetness with a hint of spiciness."

Hope this can help you out...it sounds too simple to be true, but it really is a winner!

It says it's pastry for a tart but can also be used for a pie...delish!

250g plain flour (9 ounces)
200g unsalted, cold butter (7 ounces)
120ml sour cream (1/2 cup or 4 ozs)

Tart Shell
Chop all the butter into small cubes. Weigh flour and put into mixer. Pulse flour and butter until the butter crumbles and it resembles a large breadcrumb consistency. ..Add 2/3 of the sour cream gradually. Check consistency, you are looking for the ingredients to just come together in the food processor. You may need more or less sour cream – the amount varies depending on the flour and humidity conditions.
Turn onto a floured bench and pull together with your hands into a rectangle shape.

Wrap pastry in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven 425 f (220C). Spray a springform tin with non-stick spray and line with the sour cream pastry, pricking the base with a fork. Blind bake the pastry until just coloured - about 12 minutes. Remove the baking beans, and bake for a further 5mins until the bottom of the pastry is cooked through.

NOTE: When lining the tin, have the pastry come up high, as the pastry will shrink.
I'm sure you'll get a lot of recipes to try...have fun, if that's possible.

All the best
Lesley

I, embarrasingly enough, can get mine good only one way-- works great for savory pies and vegetables, not so well for the delicate stuff-- works fine for sweet potato pie.
I bake the crust-- I like mine gingersnap-ish too. I bake it so that it's only one or two minutes from done, unfilled. At the same time (usually starting well before), I bake the filling, gratin style until a few minutes before done, covered (you don't want it to form a crust beforee in the crust.) then, i take them, combine, smooth over the top, and bake uncovered another 5 or so minutes, giving it a quick run in the broiler if needed to set the top.
Good luck!

I've been reading your blog for some time now and also in retrospect so you may guess I don't hate your guts too much. Not that I would depart on a round-the-world tour with you tomorrow, but... you get me, right? Now you are asking for my/our help so here's my advice: cut the crap and forget this damned pie. Get someone to do it at the restaurant. Pie crusts obviously, unlike me, hate your guts and they are not a bunch to fool with recipes raked off from the internet. It is a sign of integrity to come to terms with one's shortcomings. Begin with pie crusts. And then one day you'll wake up to realize you bake beautiful pie crusts. And then you'll understand other great truths of human life too. I hope I didn't sound patronizing, just wanted to share my personal experience. For some time now my pies are just gorgeous. Hugs.

Perhaps it's sacrilegeous, but Martha's method works for me EVERY TIME. Just follow the directions. Never has a chance to touch my hot hands. I always refrigerate it after mixing, and then again after putting into the form I'm using. ALWAYS turns out amazingly.

http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe1685&contentGroup=MSL&site=living&rsc=ns2006_m1

Although I'm a good cook, I too, am pie crust challenged. It's one of those things you have to develop a feel for and I don't bake enough pies to acquire one.

I fall back on nut flours. You can buy almond or walnut meal at some high end grocers or grind your own in a food processor.

Mix 2 cups of nut flour with 1/4 cup melted, unsalted butter and simply pat into your pie tin.
Pour in your choice of filling and bake.

Much less mess and much less angst.

I don't have a sweet potato pie recipe, but I have a great easy crust recipe that I make as part of a sour cream apple pie. I think it would be good with sweet potato pie.

1 cup flour
3 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 lb. butter

Combine crust ingredients. Blend well with pastry cutter. Press into 9-inch pie pan.

I mangle pie crusts regularly - so I finally broke down and asked my Mom for my Grandmother Mahoney's pie crust recipe. I always loved her pies. Here it is:
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb Crisco
pinch salt
5 cups flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 egg
1 tablespoon vinegar

PROCEDURE:
Cut the crisco into the flour and wheat germ with a masher thingy OR you can use two butter knives criss-crossing the blades one on top of the other to make an "x" and pulling it through the crisco and flour. Don't try to speed this step up by using a food processor. I was impatient and did this - disaster. Do this until you have little smallish pea-sized balls.

In an 8 oz cup put in one egg and beat it, add one tablespoon vinegar to the 8oz cut with the egg in it and then add water and fill to top of 8 oz cup.

Pour the water/vinegar/egg mixture over the Crisco and flour, stir it up till everything's combined.

Refrigerate 24 hours.

Then form into 5 same-sized balls - you have 5 pie crusts now! Freezes well - let come down to room temperature before you roll out. I roll mine out between two sheets of wax paper dusted with flour to avoid sticking.

I avoid the crust completely. I make my pumpkin or sweet potato mixture, put it in either individual ramekins or one decorative deep baking dish. The dish goes into a water bath and baked as one do a custard of mousse. No one has complained about not having a crust.

Good luck.

I was a member of the crappy pie cust club until this recipe and I met up.

8(oz) 1 cup cold butter- cut in pieces
9 oz ( 2 cups) all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold water

Mix salt sugar flour then add butter and cold water- mix in food proccesser until crumbly and then work together by hand- don't over mix. Work into a ball, wrap in plastic and chill before rollling out.

Leave out the sugar if neede for a quiche.

As bad as it sounds, lard makes much better pies than Crisco. Lard is natural and Crisco is not, but where would you find it in the city? I live near the Amish. Actually, I use refrigerated crust, but I only found it acceptable if I rolled it out thinner. I used Pillsbury for years until someone told me that Kroger's store brand was better. And it is!

Sorry if this is a repeat. What about some sort of graham cracker type crust, but made with ground pecans instead? A little butter, a little cinnamon, whatever else goes in those...?

send me a mail, I'm in Seattle and would love to help out.

Pie crusts have always plagued me until I stopped trying so hard to make them. Kind of like your experience with biscuits, I just added flour and butter together until it felt and looked right (a little crumbly and barely sticking together) and then I add a teaspoon of water at a time to bind it. I put it in the fridgie for 20 min to reset the butter and then roll it out. I also use the method Tanya uses of cooking the crust and ingredients separatly. Also, I recommend Gooey cakes instead of pies. Paula Dean made a pumpkin gooey cake that i served for Thanksgiving last year and I will never go back to pumpkin pie. I'm sure you could adapt a recipe to sweet potatoes. The recipe is at www.foodnetwork.com

I won't address the pie crust issue; you got a lot of good advice (and recipes).

BUT -- what's up with a streusel topping?

The only topping (personal opinion) for SWP is hand-whipped (beater or mixer) whipping cream from the carton (in a pinch, Reddi-Whip's Heavy Whipped Cream in the can works)

I've made my own crusts and they turn out great - but they taste just like the Pillsbury ones and I get an equal amount of compliments. After all, if it's just flour water and fat - why would they taste any different? Plus, they look homemade because you can put them in your own pan and crimp the edges yourself.

This is a great - and reasonably healthy - recipe. I'll be streusel could be added pretty simply. And I'm sure all the egg whites could be reduced to whole eggs and the soy milk substituted for cow's milk.

Sweet potato/pecan pie:

Makes 12-14 servings

Crust:

8 graham crackers, finely crushed
1 Tablespoon canola or saffflower oil

Preheat oven to 325F. Lightly spray 10 inch non-stick heavy-gauge springform pan with cooking oil. Mix all crust ingredients together thoroughly and press firmly into pan. Bake 4-5 mins. Cool on rack.

Sweet Potato Filling:

2 1/2 Cups steamed sweet potatoes, mashed until smooth
1 1/2 Cups soy milk (or regular milk!)
1/4 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/4 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 Teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 Teaspoon ground cloves
4 organic egg whites

Raise oven temperature to 350F. In a large bowl mix all ingredients until well-blended and completely smooth. Set aside.

Pecan Filling:

6 organic egg whites
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/2 Teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons canola or safllower oil
1 1/2 Cups dark corn syrup
1 Cup finely chopped fresh pecan halves
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

Combine first 5 ingredients in large bowl and beat throroughly until well combined. Stir in pecans and vanilla.

Pour sweet potato filling into baked pie crust and smooth top. Carefully pour pecan filling on top. Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until a knife inserted into the pie comes out clean. Cool on rack.

Forgot to post a PIE recipe! Use my pie crust recipe posted above - Grandma Mahoney's pie recipe. But do this apple cranberry filling and walnut streusel topping. I made this pie last year for Christmas and it was a hit! The cranberries make the pie nice and tart! (I think the credit for this recipe goes to Emeril Lagasse.)

Apple Cranberry Pie

Filling:
1 3/4 cups light brown sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices (about 4 cups)
2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Walnut Streusel Topping:

8 and 2/3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut up
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup walnut pieces
Ice cream (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

2. Prepare Grandma Mahoney's pie crust and drape over a DEEP DISH pie tin so it's ready for the filling when you're done.

3. In a bowl combine the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and mix well. In another bowl combine the apples, cranberries, and lemon juice, and toss well. Pour the dry mixture over the fruit. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter, pour it over all, and mix thoroughly.

4. Turn the mixture into the pie shell and bake the pie until the fruit is tender, for about 1 hour. I recommend putting a large pan on the rack below the pie to catch any overflowing juices - just in case. Remove from the oven and set the pie on a rack to cool.

5. In a large skillet oven medium heat, melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter with the granulated sugar. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is bubbling and the consistency of a thick roux, for about 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in the cream, vanilla, and walnuts and cook, stirring constantly, for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for 20 minutes. Spoon the topping over the cooled pie and refrigerate overnight.

6. To serve, cut the pie into wedges, and add a scoop of ice cream, if you like.

You can heat this pie up BY THE SLICE in the microwave if someone wants a warm slice - heating the whole pie up in the oven will make it harder to slice prettily. ENJOY! You just inspired me - I'm making this on for my husband's family for Thanksgiving!

Have to agree with the graham cracker crust - here's a great recipe:

http://www.toomanychefs.com/archives/001892.php

Ann - so interesting how recipes evolve! My Great Grammy Hermann's crust was similar to your grandmothers - except:

2c Crisco (I assume that's about 1lb.)
6 C. Flour
1tsp. Salt
2tsp. Soda

for liquid - I combine 1/3 cup water, 1 egg yolk, 1Tbl cider vinegar, and 1Tbl brown sugar.

All other steps are the same. This one has been tried and true for 3 generations. Thanks again, Grammy Hermann!

I am jumping on the Pillsbury pie crust bandwagon. I am a decent cook and pretty good baker but pie crusts always end with screaming, cursing and other vile things. Once I discovered the Pillsbury pie crusts my life was changed. I could make tarts and pies and not threaten bodily harm