Sweet Potato Chiffon Pie

Crust:

1. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl with the pastry cutter. Add the butter and lard/shortening.
2. Cut the butter and shortening into the mixture using the pastry cutter (or using a fork and butter knife) until it has pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is OK). A pastry cutter makes this step very easy and quick.
3. Measure 1/2 cup of water in a cup. Add ice. Drizzle the cold water in, 1 tbsp at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula after every spoonful is added. Do not add any more water than you need to. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps and there's very little excess flour in the bowl.
4. Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. Form it into a ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into 1-inch thick discs using your hands.
5. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 and 1/2 hours before using (can be saved for 3-5 in fridge).

To bake crust:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Roll out pie dough until 1/4 inch thick and lay over a 9 inch pie dish. Remove excess and crimp the edges as you like. Prick the middle of the dough (where the filling will be) and place a piece of parchment paper over the dough. Put dried beans or pie pearls on the parchment and blind bake for ten minutes. Remove the parchment and beans/pearls from the pie crust and bake for 15 minutes to fully bake the crust through. Let cool before adding filling.

Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Poke sweet potatoes with a fork all over and roast in oven on a baking sheet for 45 minutes-1 hour. Let cool until cool enough to touch, then run through a potato ricer, a food mill, or a high powered blender/food processor to remove strings and make smooth. Put into a large bowl and set aside.
3. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup of water and let stand until bloomed, about 3 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the half and half in a small saucepan until it starts to bubble around the edges. Turn heat off and cover the pan with a lid.
5. In a medium heatproof bowl (I suggest a pyrex bowl), beat the egg yolks with a whisk until they thicken slightly, for about a minute or two. Add 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar and beat until very thick, about 3 minutes. Gradually beat in the warmed half-and-half until well combined.
6. Fill the now-empty saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer. Set the bowl with the egg yolk-half and half mixture over the simmering water and whisk constantly until thickened, about 6-8 minutes.
7. Add the gelatin to your thickened custard and cook for 1 minute, whisking well to dissolve the gelatin. Remove the bowl from the pan.
8. Stir the custard into the bowl of sweet potatoes. Add 1 tbsp of vanilla, the spices and the salt and mix until well incorporated. Set aside.
9. In a clean sauce pan, pour in 1/2 cup water and 1 cup granulated sugar. Heat over high heat, and using a candy thermometer, let boil until the syrup is 240 degrees F.
10. While the syrup is boiling, place egg whites and cream of tartar in the large bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on medium speed until they are fluffy and have soft peaks (when the whisk is lifted the peaks come up and fall gently back onto themselves. The whites will still look a little foamy, not glossy.)
11. When syrup is at 240 degrees F, while mixer is moving at high speed, pour the hot syrup in. Keep the mixer on high speed until the meringue is glossy, white, and has stiff peaks.
12. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the sweet potato-custard mixture until no streaks remain.
13. Pour the filling into the pie crust and refrigerate the pie until very cold and firm, at least 8 hours.
14. Decorate with whipped cream or serve without.