Sweet Potato Pie with Macadamia Crunch

FOR PIE: Peel sweet potatoes. Cut off woody portions and ends. Cut into quarters. Cook, covered, in enough boiling water to cover for 25-30 minutes, or till tender; drain and mash. (You should have 1 1/2 cups.) Add margarine or butter to hot potatoes, stirring till melted. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, and nutmeg. Stir in eggs and half-and-half or light cream. Set aside. Prepare and roll out pastry as directed. Line a 9-inch pie plate with pastry. Trim and crimp edge of pastry. Pour sweet potato mixture into pastry shell. To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of pie with foil. Bake in a preheated 375° oven for 30 minutes.

FOR TOPPING: In a small saucepan combine brown sugar, corn syrup, and margarine or butter. Bring to boiling over low heat; simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Remove foil from pie. Sprinkle macadamia nuts or almonds evenly over pie; drizzle with brown sugar-corn syrup mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes more, or till a knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Store in the refrigerator.