Sweet Potato Cheesecake

I may not have won the sweet potato pie contest, but this recipe rocks! You can make it as one large, thick cheesecake (8, 9, or 10 inch) in a springform pan, or you will have enough batter to make 2 pies. You will need to double the crust recipe if making pies. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Cheesecake Pie with Pecan Crust and Pecan Caramel Crust

Crust
1/4 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. pecan meal
1 c. graham cracker crumbs

Combine ingredients and press firmly into pie pan. Bake 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Let cool before filling. Yields one crust.


Filling
3 -8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. + 2 Tbs. sugar
1/3 c. sour cream
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1 3/4 c. sweet potato puree
3 eggs
1 tsp. cinammon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add sugar and mix. Add sour cream and whipping cream and mix. Add sweet potato puree and mix. Add eggs one at a time and mix. Add spices and mix until all ingredients are incorporated. Place mixture in cooled pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, turn oven off and prop oven door ajar and leave in oven for another 30 minutes. Allow to cool and refrigerate. Must be kept refrigerated.

*If you are making one cheesecake, bake for 1 hour.


Caramel Nut Sauce
1/2 c. water
1 c. sugar
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 c. chopped nuts

Place water and sugar in saucepan and bring to boil. Do not stir and allow to boil until amber color. Remove from heat and slowly add heavy cream (mixture will splatter so add slowly). Stir together and bring mixture back to boil. Add chopped nuts. Allow to cool slightly before pouring on top of pie. Sauce will thicken as it cools. Yields one cup and makes enough to cover 2 pies with thin layer of sauce.

*You can refrigerate caramel sauce, and reheat.

 

And the Winner Is......

Greg took first place in the sweet potato pie contest at the 2013 Cape Charles Fall Festival over the weekend. The week prior was fun with trying out different recipes, taste testing and having some friendly competition about who could make the better pie. So here is the winning recipe.....enjoy!

Roasted rum sweet potato pie with pecan streusel topping

Pie Filling:
2 eggs
1 yolk
3/4 c. brown sugar
3 Tbs. dark rum
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 c. heavy cream
2 1/4 c. sweet potato puree

Streusel Topping:
2 Tbs. margarine
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1/4 c. + 1 Tbs. flour
1/4 c. pecans, chopped and roasted

Whisk together eggs and sugar until slightly thickened. Add rum, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, heavy cream and mix. Add sweet potato puree and mix. Pour into prepared pie crust. Bake 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare streusel topping. Mix together margarine, brown sugar and flour until crumbly. Add nuts.

After pie has baked 10 minutes, sprinkle Streusel Topping on top of pie. Bake for additional 35 to 45 minutes. Center may still be loose but toothpick inserted in middle should come out clean. Allow to cool before slicing.

Roasted rum sweet potato pie with pecan streusel topping

I love LOVE!

No matter where you are from, there are some travel slogans everyone knows - "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas", "I LOVE NY", and "Virginia is for Lovers". Each of them have their own ways to communicate their message, but I am in love with what Virginia does.

L-O-V-E! Those 4 letters make up about 30 different art installations across the state. It's called LOVEworks and you'll see the letters in the most random, and not so random, places made up of unique materials and items - metal, canoes, wood, wine corks, hay stacks. The most common one you'll see is made up of white letters.

LOVEworks in Culpepper, VA

LOVEworks in Bristol, VA

LOVEworks at Veritas Winery in Afton, VA

Communities are encouraged to create their own permanent installation using materials "native" to or symbolic of that area. I say we need one here on the Eastern Shore made with oyster shells. I talked with our local tourism director about it a year ago but nothing ever came of that conversation. I still think it's a brilliant idea, and who knows…maybe one day you'll see me somewhere in Cape Charles laying out a bunch of shells to spell L-O-V-E.

But in the meantime, there is a traveling LOVEworks that can be brought to a Virginia town near you. And it's coming to Cape Charles! It's the first time we'll have it here on the Shore and I'm so excited to be a part of bringing it here. It will be placed at the "Point" on the corner of Mason & Bay Avenues from October 11-16 with the Chesapeake Bay in the background. Can you imagine all the great photo opps?

LOVE comes to Cape Charles, VA October 11-16, 2013

Come to Cape Charles and be part of this inaugural visit. Come fall in love with LOVE. Take pictures and #LOVEVA and #CAPECHARLES or upload to Facebook.

We want to spread the LOVE from Cape Charles across the globe. Maybe you'll love LOVE too!