Can you imagine the umami goodness of sesame and miso kissed with the subtle sweetness of cashew butter, vanilla, and sugar, all whipped into the hearty seduction of chocolate and sweet potatoes and baked into a pie?

Now you can.

Years ago I saw a recipe for a sesame seed pie crust and have always wanted my hand in baking my own sweet potato pie. There’s nothing Southern about this sweet potato pie version, though.
I’m not quite sure where I would assign cultural inspiration for this confectionary combination.

Chocolate and sesame crumbling crust…silky smooth sweet potato, cashew, and sesame sliding across your tongue.

What’s the origin or where further should we take this?

Giggle, giggle. Wink, wink.

Chocolate Sesame Miso-Sweet Potato Pie

Sesame Crust:
8 Tbs. butter
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup (scant) mixed black and white sesame seeds
7 oz. chocolate wafer cookies, broken into pieces

Filling:
10 oz. sweet potatoes, peeled, cooked, and cubed
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
4 Tbs. butter, melted
3 Tbs. smooth cashew butter (Artisana is my favorite)
2 Tbs. white miso
2 large eggs
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the crust – heat the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve the sugar, until the butter is melted. Meanwhile, finely grind the sesame seeds in a spice mill, coffee grinder, or using a mortar and pestle. Pulse the cookie pieces in the food processor until coarsely ground.
Pour the butter and sugar mixture in to the food processor, along with the sesame seeds, and pulse to combine.
Press the cookie mixture into the bottom and sides of a pie dish. Freeze until very cold – about 20 minutes.

For the filling – Whisk the butter, brown sugar, and cashew butter together until smooth. Add the cooked sweet potato and continue to cook until everything is well coated. Transfer to the food processor (wiped clean from the crust), and add the miso, eggs, sesame oil, and vanilla. Process until smooth.
Pour the filling into the frozen crust.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating half way through.

Allow pie to cool completely before slicing and topping with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or  coconut butter. Yum!

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