Praline Sweet Potato Pie in Phyllo is the Star of Thanksgiving Night

Although Pumpkin Pie is always a welcome favorite that we all grew up with, it is the Praline Sweet Potato Pie that stole my heart in 1977 in Southern Maryland. With spicy sweet potato custard and toasted pecans jacketed in crunchy sweetness, all surrounded by a buttery phyllo crust, this pie can become your Shining Star of Thanksgiving Night.

Follow all the steps for Pumpkin Pie, substituting roasted and mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin. For the crust, use 6 sheets of phyllo, each brushed with melted butter.

For the pralines: toast 1 cup of pecan halves until fragrant in a sauté pan on top of the stove. Remove the pecans and melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add 3 tablespoons of Lyle’s Golden Syrup (cane sugar syrup) and 3 tablespoons of cream or evaporated milk. Let the mixture come to a boil for about a minute, then add the toasted pecans and stir constantly

until the nuts absorb most of the syrup, then sprinkle with with a pinch of salt and continue to stir until the pan is almost dry. Move the pralines to the bottom of the pie pan so that they are evenly distributed on top of the phyllo crust. Hold out about 10 pralines to sprinkle on the top of the pie before cooking.