While learning about the Mama’s Kitchen Pie in the Sky fundraiser, I had the opportunity to watch Chef Matt Gordon of Urban Solace and Sea and Smoke demonstrate his recipe for Sweet Potato Pecan Pie. He gave me permission to share the recipe below. Chef Gordon also dropped lots of pie knowledge and tips during the demonstration. Fortunately, I took furious notes and share his best tricks and tips for making pie here.
Don’t forget that you can save yourself the time and trouble of baking by having Chef Gordon and other top San Diego restaurants and bakeries make a pie for you. Purchasing a pie for $25 will provide over 8 healthy meals to neighbors in need. That’s a win-win-win. You can also donate a pie to clients as well.
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.
Continue reading for a printable recipe.
Sweet Potato Pecan Pie
Author: Chef Matt Gordon
Recipe type: dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Chef Matt Gordon of Urban Solace makes this Sweet Potato Pecan Pie as an oversized, deep dish pie by baking it in a cake pan. This recipe makes enough for 2-3 regular sized pies or 7 mini pies (as pictured).
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 5 cup AP flour
- ¼ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ Tbl kosher salt
- 1 ¼ lb unsalted butter (chopped nicely)
- 1 ea Oranges zest only
- 5 ea egg yolk
- ½ cup or less ice water
First Layer
- 5 cup mashed sweet potatoes
- 1 ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 5 ea egg beaten
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ⅓ cup vanilla
- 1 ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Second Layer
- 2 cup sugar
- 2 cup dark brown sugar
- 5 ea eggs, beaten
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1.5 Tbs vanilla
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 quart chopped pecans
Instructions
- To make the dough: Sift flour, sugar and salt together. Cut in butter and orange zest until combined. Slowly add the yolk and water until dough pulls together. Ball up and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- For first layer, mix all ingredients in mixer for about 3 minutes or until totally smooth.
- For second layer, cream sugar and butter and add eggs until combined add remaining ingredients and mix for 1 minute.
- To make pie: Butter 1 large cake pan for a deep dish pie, or 2-3 regular sized pie dishes, or 7 mini pie pans. Cut a parchment circle to fit the bottom. Roll the crust out onto a floured sheet of parchment and flip into pan. Flute edges and brush with egg whites. Fill about halfway with sweet potato filling and spread 1.5 cups of hand crushed pecans evenly over filling. Top with second layer mixture until just to lower edge of crust. Add more pecans!
- Bake at 325 in oven for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If it is browning to quickly, place foil over the top of the pie.
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