the hungry expats

 It is mid-March here in Johannesburg, and Fall is rapidly creeping in. Mornings are getting cooler, leaves are starting to fall, and I am now craving food I would normally expect to find around October or November in the Northern Hemisphere. Hence this typical Southern dessert that classically adorns every table at Thanksgiving. It's all about the contrast of textures: soft creamy sweet potato, crispy crust and crunchy pecan topping.   Ingredients Pie Crust 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour 1 tsp granulated sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 cup very cold unsalted butter cut in cubes 1/4-1/3 cup very cold water 1 egg (for egg wash) Sweet Potato Pie Filling 1 cup sweet potato mashed 1/4 cup salted butter melted and cooled 1 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs beaten 2 tsp vanilla extract tsp ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg Pecan Pie Topping 1 large egg room temperature and beaten 1 1/4 cup chopped pecans 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tbsp light brown sugar...

 We figured the mild temperatures of late Fall / early Winter in South Africa would provide the perfect weather to explore the Garden Route. Luck was with us too, because we arrived in George after a straight week of rainfall.The flight from Johannesburg was short (a little under two hours) and cost us about ZAR 6000 (approximately EUR 300), including one checked luggage each (with FlySafair). We rented a SUV with First Rental Car, a company we had previously used when we went to Cape Town. In spite of several sections of road work along the way, the drive from George to our first accommodation north of Plettenberg Bay (approx. 125 km or 80 miles) was extremely pleasant, with scenic views over the ocean, coastal towns and beaches to the right, and the striking mountain range to the left. For our first stop, we chose to spend a couple of nights at the Trogon Treetop House and Forest Spa, (https://www.trogonhouse.co.za) located in The Crags, about 25 km past Plettenberg Bay. Nestled ...