Sweet Potato Pecan Pie from Chef Matt Gordon

Chef matt Gordon’s advanced Pie making Tips

• A cold kitchen and cold hands are best for pastry. The butter should never melt. The chef said that he sometimes goes into their walk-in refrigerator on hot days. Interestingly, he shared that the best pastry chefs often have naturally cold hands.
• Use parchment paper between the dough and your rolling pin to roll out the dough more easily.
• Adding egg yolks to the dough (as this recipe does) is called an “enriched” recipe. It is great for wet batters (such as pumpkin pie and pecan pie) when you don’t want to pre bake the crust. Although this recipe calls for brushing the crust with egg white before putting the filling in, he says it isn’t necessary for an enriched crust.
• Citrus zest adds great flavor to any baked goods, such as this crust.
• Wet finger can band aid together a tear in the crust. As you want to handle the dough as little as possible, never ball it up to roll out a second time.
• Many home cooks have spices in the cupboards for ages. Fresh spices make a huge difference. (I love grating fresh nutmeg with a microplane.)
• Use raw pecans. (I had always wondered which was better for pie!)
• Setting the oven to 325ºF (instead of hotter) can prevent over browning the crust. You can use a bit of foil, too. (I use a pie shield.)
• Don’t use the fan if you have a convection oven. A conventional oven is actually better.