Pentagram Pie

My friend tells me that every hipster in Carrboro, North Carolina has a pentagram tattoo these days, so maybe it sounds trite when I say that I have an affinity for the pentagram. In the Tarot, the pentagram, or pentacles, correspond with the Taurus sign astrologically (along with Virgo and Capricorn--the other Earth signs) and in general the symbol is associated with Earth, craft, the accumulation of knowledge, physicality, and tradition. It represents stability and grounding forces and seems to appear more than any other suit in my readings. Then of course, there's also the British folk band Pentangle, one of my favorites.

Last year for Halloween, I went as the Queen of Pentacles, and carried along this occult sacrament of a Pentagram Pie for all the witchy revelers. I used a sweet potato filling for seasonality, color and because I thought it would support the crust design well. For the pentagram, cut 5 long strips out of dough and arrange them in the form of a 5-pointed star across the pie. You can weave them through like a lattice, if desired. Serve and summon the spirits.



Sweet Potato Pentagram Pie
Adapted from Cheryl Day's Back In The Day Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients
Nothing-in-the-House pie crust
1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes (1-2 taters), cooked, peeled, and mashed
1 c. heavy cream
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 Tblsp. sorghum or blackstrap molasses
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. packed light brown sugar
1 Tblsp. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. cardamom
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. mace
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Directions
1. Prepare Nothing-in-the-House pie crust as per the directions, reserving the leftover egg for an egg wash. Chill dough at least 1 hour before rolling out the bottom crust (half of the dough) and fitting into a greased and floured 9-inch pie pan. Pierce the bottom of the shell all over with a fork, and let chill for 15 more minutes in the fridge. Return the other half of the crust to the fridge. 

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place mashed sweet potatoes in a large mixing bowl. Add the heavy cream, eggs, and sorghum or molasses and whisk until fully incorporated.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugars, flour, cardamom, cloves, mace, ginger, and salt. Add to the sweet potato mixture and stir until smooth.

4. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Roll out your top crust and cut 5 long strips of the dough. Arrange them over the filling in the shape of a pentagram, weaving some strips under as you would for a lattice top, if desired. Brush crust with an egg wash and bake for 40-50 minutes until the filling is form around the edges but still jiggles slightly in the center when you shake it. Let cool completely.

Instagram by @abrakebarbara from last year's Halloween party at Blood Manor

Related recipes:

Fannie Farmer's Sweet Potato Pie

Sweet Potato Speculoos Pie