Reader reminders: It's sweet potato time as we head into Thanksgiving. Reader Shirly Fletcher and I are still trying to find out whether sweet potato leaves are edible, and if so, how do you cook them?
Another sweet potato query came in from Betty Falc of Escondido, who enjoyed deep-fried sweet potato nuggets while visiting back East recently. The nuggets ---- sweet potato cubes, rolled in bread crumbs and deep-fried ---- were served as appetizers. Betty tried to re-create the recipe, using canned sweet potato, rolled into balls, dipped in egg batter and rolled in crumbs, but when they hit the oil, they disintegrated. Does anyone have any recipes for making deep-fried sweet potato nuggets? If you have an answer to either (or both) of these queries, please send it to the address at the end of this column.
Pie time: You may recall that Linda Carroll of Escondido was hunting for either a local source or a recipe for the original Mrs. Wick's Sugar Cream Pie, which hails from Winchester, Ind. No one was able to turn up a local source, but we did get some recipes for sugar cream pies ---- and for chess pies, which may or may not taste the same as what Linda is hankering for.
The history of the cream pie in Indiana and Illinois goes back to pioneer days. It belongs to the family of what one writer has called "desperation pies" ---- custardy pies that needed just a few ingredients to come together quickly. The Southern "chess pie" also falls into this category, as does the vinegar pie.
According to the Mrs. Wick's Web site, the pies are produced "from a Wickersham family recipe that dates back to the 19th century farm. As the pie was made then, the same pie is made now, from the simple ingredients found on the farm -- milk, sugar, flour, shortening, vanilla, and nutmeg." Linda recalls that butter "weeps" from the top of the pie, so it's a pretty safe bet that butter is the "shortening" used.
Since I've never had a Mrs. Wick's sugar cream pie, I can't tell you whether these recipes taste the same. However, I have had cream pie, and I can tell you that it's pretty darn good. So even if these recipes don't exactly match what Linda is looking for, they'll still produce some delicious eating. And if you're looking for a change from Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, consider adding one of these to the dessert lineup!
Marilyn Holst of Vista sent this recipe from "The Beta Sigma Phi International Cookbook," published in 1968. It was originally submitted by Marcia Schwan, president of Nu Pi No. 6666, Morton Grove, Ill. Lorrie Rocek of Oceanside sent similar recipes she found online. Thanks, ladies:
Sugar Cream Pie
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
Nutmeg
In large bowl, mix first 3 ingredients with hands; stir in water and cream and vanilla. Pour into pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes at 375 degrees or until pastry is browned and custard set. Yield: 8 servings.
When Kathy Shinn of Vista saw Linda's request in this column, she sent a copy to her aunt, Maxine Butler of California, Md. Maxine, in turn, sent us her recipes for different chess pies, all collected when she lived in Richmond, Va. Here's her basic recipe. You'll note that it uses eggs and pecans, too:
CHESS PIE
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup pecans, chopped
In large bowl, mix sugars and flour. Thoroughly beat in eggs, milk, vanilla and melted butter. Fold in pecans. Put mixture in an 8-inch unbaked pie shell and bake at 375 degrees until just set. Serve slightly warm, plain or with whipped cream. Makes 1 pie.
Note: It's not unusual for the filling to crack on top, but to minimize the chances of cracking, let the pie cool down slowly and away from drafts.
Got a food question? Missing a recipe? Write to North County Times staff writer Laura Groch at Bites and Pieces, North County Times, 207 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Escondido, CA 92025 or e-mail to bites@nctimes.com.
