Mon Amour Sweet Potato Pie

I have fallen in love with a little, boat-shaped, sweet potato pie. It bore me away on a yellow tide of silky smooth sweetness tinged with vanilla and cinnamon, as comforting as childhood food, but not one which I ever had the luxury of enjoying.
I don't usually fall for Asian desserts - can easily resist Chinese sweet black sesame dumplings, Hong Kong egg tarts, Thai confections with coconut milk and sweetcorn and Taiwanese fruit and sago jelly drinks. But I'm hooked.
I had my first bite of bliss unexpectedly (as most love affairs start) at a ramen bar next to our local zoo. Tuesday was Ladies' Day and it so happened that we were to be given a free dessert, which arrived on a small white plate - a pale honey-colored glob, the size and shape of nigiri sushi, tinged with brown at the edges and golden brown on top. Not easily identifiable by appearance, it seemed neither cake, cookie nor pie. But it didn't matter. It was good.
Since then I've hunted high and low for sweet potato pie. There are a few places in the city that sell them, but each is slightly different. I'm not a fan of the ones that have been fiddled with - piped into rosettes or tossed with sesame seeds and honey. I bought one in a subway mall that had been returned to the potato skin from whence it came and that was delicious, if expensive.
Usually if I eat enough of something I like, I go off it. But there was no stopping this addiction. My thirst for sweet potato pies still unquenched I sought the advice of the cooking guru upstairs, who kindly gave me a recipe to try out. I've done two batches so far, perfecting my recipe just the way I like it. Now the rest of the family are addicted.
Try it yourself and you'll know what I mean. Steam two medium-sized sweet potatoes until very soft. Peel off the skins and add to the potato 70 g of butter, most of one egg yolk, a good shake of cinnamon, a few drops of vanilla essence, two tablespoons of sugar and one tablespoon of something sweet like honey (I use Blue Agave) and puree. It won't be as smooth as mashed potato, but beat if for a few minutes. Then take a tablespoon size amount and shape it into a rowing boat shape with your hands. This amount makes about 10-12 boats. Brush the tops with the remaining egg yolk and bake in the oven for 20 mins at 200 degrees centigrade. Leave to cool. Scoff.

PS A word of warning: Being overindulgent can lead to regret. This is potato you're eating after all, so unless you want to feel extremely full, limit yourself to two. Per hour.