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My roommate and I are steadily becoming more and more festive as the weeks progress. We have stocked our kitchen with holiday cookie decorating kits, peppermint teas, and spiced apple cider. I’m currently in the market for a cinnamon broom to hang over the door and have noticed a sudden hankering for Irish Coffees and pumpkin flavored, well, everything. The cool thing about pumpkins is that they are the one food that really offers a transition between holidays. We carve them up in October and bake the seeds with salt. Then, in December, we bake them into pies and puddings, breads and muffins.

For your next festive gathering, bring this inherently fall-oriented flavor into the mix by serving this recipe for tasty Pumpkin Spice Shots. While I’m not really a “shots” person”, I actually thoroughly enjoyed these. The spirits and the wine come together to create a unique flavor very similar to pumpkin pie – perfect for an autumn-to-wintertime party.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Shots

Ingredients:
12 oz Oktoberfest Beer
4 oz Goldschläger
12 oz Raspberry Liqueur
5 oz Spiced Rum
6 oz Vodka
5 oz of your homemade Pinot Noir

Preparation:
Mix all of the ingredients together in a pitcher and chill; serve them as shots at your next holiday party.

The Artful Winemaker all-inclusive package includes everything you need to make 12 signature bottles of your very own wine in just 28 days. The clean, easy to handle system fits on your kitchen counter and comes with all winemaking ingredients including grape juices sourced from some of the nation’s finest vineyards, cleansers, an instructional DVD, and 12 glass bottles with closures, foils and bottle labels. By purchasing additional refill wine kits, the Artful Winemaker System can be used time and time again to produce all of the great tasting wines available including Cabernet/Shiraz, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, and Riesling.

So go ahead – discover the winemaker in you!

For more information, visit: www.artfulwinemaker.com or at www.facebook.com/artfulwinemaker There are three ways you can reach us:

Visit us on the web at: www.artfulwinemaker.com

Or email us at: help@artfulwinemaker.com

Or if you prefer direct assistance or more help, please call our toll free number:
1-800-263-4790 ext. 6449

…or at least I probably should. I write this blog with the full understanding that I will not hear the end of it.

You see, much to the chagrin of those nearest and dearest to me, I dislike pie. I know, I know. I’m probably one of three people out there that won’t eat it and trust me, my utter refusal sparks much controversy and debate, followed quickly by painstaking defenses on my part.

There are, of course, exceptions to my little rule. I like what I’ve termed to be “pudding pies”. Pumpkin pie, chocolate pie, cheesecake (a nice hybrid between pie and my much-preferred cake), banana cream; these all thrill my soul…as do sweet potatoes.

And so, despite my inexplicable aversion to an otherwise favored dessert, it should be no surprise that when I came across this recipe for Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue I gleefully danced around the living room and nearly did a cartwheel. Finally, I have found a holiday-friendly pie (other than pumpkin) that I will enjoy alongside everyone else.

If you do the meringue right it’ll look beautiful on a holiday table. Because I like to add a little spice to things, so I recommend giving it a dash of ground cayenne pepper. If you are like me and you enjoy pairing wines with desserts, my recommendation is to go with a dry Artful Winemaker Pinot Grigio. It’s medium-bodied and lightly acidic, which will cut through the meringue and the sweetness of the potatoes without overpowering the food.

Sweet Potato Pie

Originally published in November 2010 in Southern Living Magazine.

Ingredients for the Crust

½ package refrigerated pie crusts
Parchment paper
1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon whipping cream

Ingredients for the Filling

¼ cup melted butter

1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
3 cups lightly packed, cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (about 2 ½ lbs.)
1 cup half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Ingredients for the Marshmallow Meringue 3 egg whites ½ teaspoon vanilla extract 1/8 teaspoon salt ¼ cup sugar 1 7-oz jar marshmallow crème

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425° and roll the piecrust into a 13” circle on a lightly floured surface. Fit it into a 9” pie plate and fold the edges under. Poke the bottom and sides with a fork and line it with parchment paper. Fill this with dried beans and bake it for 9 minutes. Remove the beans and the parchment paper.

Whisk together the egg yolk and cream and brush it on the bottom and sides of the crust. Bake this for 6 more minutes and then transfer it to a wire rack to cool. Reduce your oven’s temperature down to 350°.

In a large bowl, stir the melted butter, sugar, salt and eggs until they are blended together. Add the sweet potatoes, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice and nutmeg until everything is blended. Pour the mixture into the now cooled piecrust (it’ll be really full).

Bake the pie for 50 to 55 minutes. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let it cool for about an hour. Turn the oven back up to 400 now? (for cooking with meringue topping – below)

To make the meringue, beat the egg whites, salt and vanilla together at a high speed until it is foamy. Gradually add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until the stiff peaks begin to form. Then, beat ¼ of the marshmallow crème into the egg white mixture and continue to add more until it’s smooth (this should take about a minute). Spread this over the pie and bake at 400° for 6-7 minutes (or until the meringue is lightly browned).

The Artful Winemaker all-inclusive package includes everything you need to make 12 signature bottles of your very own wine in just 28 days. The clean, easy to handle system fits on your kitchen counter and comes with all winemaking ingredients including grape juices sourced from some of the nation’s finest vineyards, cleansers, an instructional DVD, and 12 glass bottles with closures, foils and bottle labels. By purchasing additional refill wine kits, the Artful Winemaker System can be used time and time again to produce all of the great tasting wines available including Cabernet/Shiraz, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, and Riesling.

So go ahead – discover the winemaker in you! For more information, visit: www.artfulwinemaker.com or at www.facebook.com/artfulwinemaker

There are three ways you can reach us: Visit us on the web at: www.artfulwinemaker.com
Or email us at: help@artfulwinemaker.com
Or if you prefer direct assistance or more help, please call our toll free number:
1-800-263-4790 ext. 6449