COOK'S CORNER ONE POTATO, SWEET POTATO ...

Byline: Natalie Haughton Food Editor

Debbie Gordon of Valley Village wrote awhile back looking for a recipe for Sweet Potato Pie like that served at Dr. Hogly Wogly's BBQ in Van Nuys. Although we don't have that exact recipe or a facsimile of it, we're offering a couple of different sweet potato pie options that we've tried over the years. Hopefully one will be close.

The first, shared by Ann Criswell, former food editor of the Houston Chronicle, ran in an article about food editors' Thanksgiving favorites several years ago. It goes together in a jiffy if you pierce and cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave oven until tender and use a prepared refrigerated pie crust.

The second, a pecan-topped variation on the theme, consists mostly of mashed yams or sweet potatoes with little filler other than an egg, brown sugar, butter and a little corn syrup. It's a copycat version of one served at Killer Shrimp in Studio City (also in Marina del Rey) that appeared in the Restaurant Replicas column a few years ago. The pecan streusel topping, sprinkled on the pie prior to baking, goes together fast with pecans, brown sugar, butter and flour.

Last in today's roundup - though not a sweet potato pie - is the apple pie that Emeril Lagasse selected as the winner in the ``Good Morning America'' 2001 Apple Pie Contest last week. It was created by Marsha Brooks of Carmel, Ind., and has a caramel topping.

``This pie is total comfort food for me. It is the only apple pie I serve at Thanksgiving. It represents warmth and family to me,'' says Brooks, adding that the pie is easy to make and has a slightly different twist than traditional apple pie.

Any or all of these would be good choices for holiday dessert offerings.

SWEET POTATO PIE

(Shared by Ann Criswell, Houston)

2 cups hot mashed sweet potatoes (about 3 potatoes)

6 tablespoons butter, melted

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 (9-inch) deep-dish unbaked pastry shell

Combine hot mashed sweet potatoes in food processor (or blender) with butter and process until smooth. Add eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk and vanilla; process until smooth and well blended.

Pour into unbaked pastry shell, spreading evenly. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven about 30 minutes or until set and crust is browned. Cool. Serve with whipped cream. Makes 1 pie.

PECAN-TOPPED SWEET POTATO PIE

(A Restaurant Replica)

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell

3 cups cooked, mashed yams OR sweet potatoes

3 tablespoons butter

1 egg

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Pecan Topping

Press a piece of foil in bottom and up sides of unbaked pie shell. Fill with beans or pie weights. Bake in preheated 450-degree oven 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from oven, wait a couple of minutes, then carefully remove pie weights and foil. Set aside.

For filling, in a medium mixing bowl, mix hot mashed yams with butter, egg, corn syrup, vanilla, brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, prepare Pecan Topping. Spread cooled yam mixture evenly in prebaked pie shell. Sprinkle Pecan Topping evenly over top. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven 30 to 35 minutes or until crust is golden. Cool. Serve slices topped with whipped cream. Makes 1 pie.

PECAN TOPPING: In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup chopped pecans, 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1 1/2 tablespoons flour until well-blended.

CRUNCHY CARAMEL APPLE PIE

(From Marsha Brooks, Carmel, Ind., winner of the ``Good Morning America'' 2001 Apple Pie Contest)

FILLING:

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (a combination of Golden Delicious and Fuji)

1 pastry crust for a deep-dish 9-inch pie (homemade OR store-bought)

CRUMB TOPPING:

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup quick-cooking rolled oats 

1/2 cup butter

CARAMEL TOPPING:

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup caramel topping

For Filling, in a large mixing bowl, stir together granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add apple slices and gently toss until coated. Transfer apple mixture to pie shell.

For Crumb Topping, stir together brown sugar, flour and rolled oats. Cut in butter until topping is like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle Crumb Topping evenly over apple mixture.

Place pie on a baking sheet so drippings don't spill into your oven. Cover edges of pie with foil. Bake in preheated 375-oven 25 minutes. Then remove foil and return to oven for another 25 to 30 minutes.

Remove from oven. Sprinkle pie with chopped pecans then drizzle caramel over all. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy warm or at room temperature. Makes 1 pie.

Can you help?

If you have recipes that can help this reader, please send them along to us at the address below to share in a future column.

I'm looking for a recipe for delicious mashed potatoes like those served at Rattler's barbecue restaurant in Canyon Country. I'd like to serve them during the holidays. Does anyone have something similar?

- Barbara Hart

Canyon Country