Yams with Pecan Praliné & Maple Squash Pie

I decided to post two recipes because I didn't have a photo of the second one, which is the one I really wanted to share.

Yams with Pecan Praline

I tasted this delicious dish when a dear friend invited us for Thanksgiving dinner with her family (not only immediate, but extended as well, including her parents, and her two sisters' families) back in 1999, I think. Experiencing this most typical American holiday with a typical American family was a rare treat, one that hasn't happened since then, and it changed the way we celebrate Thanksgiving forever, because we then learned the "proper way" to do it :) I have been making this dish every year since 2002.

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar (more if you want a sweeter dish)
- 3 Tbs. butter, at room temperature
- 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (or more if you wish) finely chopped pecans
- 6 medium yams or sweet potatoes (about 3 pound), pelled, and cut into 1/2 inch rounds OR canned yams.
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, heated

1. In a bowl, work together brown sugar, butter and flour until well combined, then work in pecans. Set aside. (This topping can be prepared up to 8 hours ahead and kept at room temperature).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add yam and cook until crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Do not overcook. (we actually like ours softer, so we cook longer). Drain and rinse under cold running water.
3. Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Lightly butter a 9 by 13 inch (23 by 33 cm) baking dish.
4. Arrange yams, overlapping in vertical rows in dish. (This can be done up to 8 hours before baking, covered tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerated).
5. Before baking, mix the heated heavy cream with the sugar, butter, flour, and pecan mix and pour cream over yams. Bake for 20 minutes.

Butternut Squash and Maple Pie

Pumpkin pie is definitely an acquired taste, particularly for foreigners like us (I'd be curious to know what the American readers have to say about this -- does everyone generally like it?). I never liked it too much, but a few years ago my husband said that he liked it and I think I baked it once last year with canned pumpkin, and I have bought ready made ones a few times. This year I was going to buy the pumpkin but I got mixed up and got butternut squash (already peeled and cut) instead. Luckily I own two hefty binders of baking recipes* and I found this gem of a recipe. It is just SOOOO yummy!!

Ingredients:

Pie crust:
I used a store bought one, and you can do the same or use your typical crust recipe (I'm too lazy now to type the ingredients plus instructions for the crust).

Filling:
- 2 packages (11 ounces each) frozen butternut squash, thawed
--> I used one 16 oz. package of peeled and cut squash boiled in water until soft
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
(I used 1 teaspoon or so of Pumpkin Pie Spice Mix instead)
- 3 large eggs

1. Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C)
2. Have pie crust ready on 9 inch round pie dish.
3. To prepare filling, beat together buttenut squash, evaporated milk, sugar, maple syrup, and spices at medium speed until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Our filling into prepared crust.
5. Bake pie until filling is set, 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool.
6. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.

If there's any leftover filling (I had more than would fit the crust), just bake it on a grating dish. It's very yummy. I actually like it like that, without the crust. The crust also tends to burn, given the long baking time, so after it's nicely baked and golden, you can put a strip of foil around it to prevent it from burning.

* Those that are a total ripoff because they come in the mail in installments that cost like 18 dollars each -- I think I spent around 200 before I stopped (and I couldn't afford it at all at the time, back in 1996-7). Good thing I do like to bake, but still, it's a lot of recipes and I'll never bake even half of them in my lifetime. It's called "Great American Home Baking" and it has 12 categories of recipes with over 20 cards with two recipes for each category, that would make almost 500 recipes!