PUMPKIN, SWEET POTATO AND COCONUT PIE

Steps:

• 1. in medium pan, mix sweet potatoes, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and ginger with enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, til sweet potatoes are very tender when pierced with a fork or skewer, about 10 minutes. Drain potatoes, reserving boiling liquid. Return potatoes to pot over low heat and toss to dry them a bit. Discard cinnamon, cloves and star anise. Force the warm potatoes through a ricer, food mill, or sieve. Boil liquid, if needed, til it is reduced to 1/4 cup. Let sweet potato mash and the liquid cool separately. The sweet potatoes and spiced liquid can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated.
• 2. Adjust rack to lower half and preheat oven to 350. Whisk together pumpkin and sweet potato puree in large bowl. Whisk in egg, egg yolk, melted butter and reserved spiced liquid. In another bowl, stir together sugars with a whisk til any large lumps of brown sugar are gone. Sift flour and salt over sugars; stir to blend. Add sugar/flour mixture to pumpkin and stir well til no pockets of sugar are visible. Blend in the coconut milk.
• 3. Scrape filling into chilled pie shell; smooth top. Bake for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, turning pie several times so that it bakes evenly. The filling should feel firm, not wobbly, and the point of a thin bladed knife should come out clean when inserted into the center. The edge of the filling will be unevenly cracked. If the edge of the pastry darkens too much before the filling is cooked, cover with a pie shield or strips of foil. Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool completely before serving with mounds of the lightly sweetened whipped cream
• 4. If you make the sweet potato mash and spiced liquid in advance, bring them to room temperature before proceeding with the recipe. If you have frozen them, thaw them overnight in refrigerator before bringing them to room temperature. If you use a metal pie plate rather than a glass one, the pill will take 10 to 15 minutes less time to bake
• 5. Tender Pie Crust: 3 cups flour 1 tsp. salt 1 cup solid vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces 1 large egg 2 to 3 Tbsp. ice water, as needed 1 Tbsp. white vinegar Mix flour and salt in large mixing bowl or food processor. Add shortening land cut in with pastry blender or two knives or pulse in food processor, til largest pieces of shortening are about the size of fat peas. Transfer to large mixing bowl if using processor. In small bowl, beat together egg, 2 Tbsp of ice water, and the vinegar. add to the flour mixture. Work the liquid evenly through the dough with tips of your fingers til it can be collected in a rough ball. If the dough is too dry to come together, gradually sprinkle a few drops of the remaining water over it and continue to work gently til it comes together. Cut dough in half and shape each half into a ball. Flatten each ball into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Chill for at least 4 hours or up to 3 days. Save 1 disk for another use. About 2 hours before baking, remove dough from refrigerator to allow it to warm up just enough so it won't crack when you roll it. Unwrap dough and roll it between two sheets of wax paper into a round about 12 inches in diameter. Peel off top sheet of paper, Invert 9 inch glass pie plate and center it on the dough. Slide one hand under the bottom sheet of wax paper, position you other hand flat on the pie plate and quickly flip the plate and dough. Peel off the paper and gently press dough down into the plate. With a paring knife, trim dough to within 3/4 inch of the rim. Fold the dough under and crimp edges. Sue the trimmings to patch any cracks or bare spots. Wrap the shell loosely in plastic and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 1 day. Don't cheat on the chilling time before or after rolling the crust. A well chilled crust won't shrink during baking.
• 6. Plus, a well chilled crust is less apt to burn during the long baking time this pie requires. This recipe makes double the pie dough you'll need for the pumpkin pie recipe, so freeze half to use another time.