| 1 |
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place the sweet potatoes on an oven rack and bake them about 1 to 1-1/2 hours, or until completely tender when pierced with a fork. |
| 2 |
Meanwhile, place the gingersnaps in a food processor and process into crumbs. Set aside. |
| 3 |
When cool enough to handle, peel and transfer the sweet potato flesh to a food processor and process until you have a smooth puree. Remove the puree and measure 2 cups. If you like, you can do this step up to 2 days in advance. |
| 4 |
Return the measured puree to the food processor and add 1/2 cup maple syrup, the coconut milk, and the salt. Taste for the desired sweetness and add the extra syrup if necessary. Add the oil, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, orange zest, and brandy if desired. Process until smooth. Add the egg and egg yolks and process to mix them in completely. Set aside while you roll the dough. |
| 5 |
Have a 9-inch pie plate ready. On a lightly floured board or between 2 pieces of parchment paper, roll out the dough. Start from the center and move outward, rolling the dough until it is as thin as possible (about 1/16 inch). Transfer the dough to the pie plate. Lightly push in the crust to meet the contours of the plate. Trim the overhang to extend 1/2 inch beyond the rim of the plate. Fold the overhang under and tuck it in so it is flush with the plate. Make a decorative edge by pressing a piece of the dough between the forefinger of one hand and the thumb and forefinger of the other hand. Repeat this motion continuously around the edge of the entire pie. Press the gingersnap crumbs into the crust halfway up the sides. Let the pie crust cool in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. |
| 6 |
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place a piece of parchment in the shell and weight the parchment with beans or pie weights. Blind-bake the pie shell for 10 minutes, just enough to firm the crust but not enough to color. Remove the weights and the parchment. |
| 7 |
Pour the filling into the pie shell. Bake, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Add a collar around the crust and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes, until a knife insered in the middle comes out clean. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool to room temperature, at least 2 hours, before cutting. |
| 8 |
SINGLE CRUST: Place the flours, baking powder, salt, and sugar into the bowl of a food processor. Process for a couple of seconds to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the flour and butter become crumbs, about 7 to 10 pulses. The crumbs should be uneven, with some mere crumbs and some the size of small pebbles. |
| 9 |
Stir the vinegar into the water. Add the liquid to the food processor and pulse for a couple of seconds just to combine. Do not process until the dough becomes a ball. Turn the dough out onto your work surface and gather it into a rough mass. With the hell of your hand, smear clumps of dough from the center outward about 6 inches to incorporate the butter. You should see striations and the dough will be holding together. Gather the dough into a 4-inch disk and wrap in plastic. Chill the dough for at least an hour before rolling out to let the flour absorb the liquid, firm the butter, and relax the gluten. |