Thanksgiving is all about tradition. I grew up as an only child. Both of my parents came from larger families, and we spend most of our holidays with them, so nearly all of our traditions have been handed down to us. It’s hard for such a small family unit to form any traditions of our own. That being said, one tradition that is all ours is Sweet Potato Pecan Pie.
Many years ago, my parents discovered the joys of Cajun and Creole food. In one of their cookbooks, they found a recipe for Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. When we venture to Buffalo for our big holiday gatherings, others usually take care of the desserts. But for the Thanksgivings and Christmases that we celebrate at home in Pennsylvania, we always have our Sweet Potato Pecan Pie.So, to further the tradition, I made Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Shotibles for Thanksgiving this year. Once again, I used the store bought pie crust dough. The filling includes mashed sweet potatoes, butter, brown sugar, eggs, cream, sugar and some bourbon. I then topped each with pecan halves and some chopped pecans. I covered that with a syrup made with sugar, eggs, corn syrup, butter, and more bourbon. I baked them for nearly an hour and a half at 300 degrees.
What’s fun is I didn’t have to work hard to find a liquor that would match the dessert. My family always includes bourbon, even though it’s not part of the original recipe. And, it’s still kid friendly because the alcohol cooks off. Jeff and I headed up to Buffalo without my folks this year. I brought the Sweet Potato Pecan Pie Shotibles along, and shared the tradition with the rest of my family.
