Crust Ingredients:
1-¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup butter, cut into small cubes and chilled in the freezer for at least 3 hours
½ teaspoon salt
2-4 tablespoons of ice water
This is similar to a pecan pie, but with walnuts… and bourbon. What’s not to love?
A word about walnuts:
We happen to live in Northern California, where one can easily find fresh walnuts grown nearby. But if you live outside of walnut territory, please, please, please be careful in choosing your nuts.
Nothing against Diamond brand, or other supermarket pre-packaged brand of nuts, but they are OLD. And 99% of the time they are rancid. You know that bitter, slightly acid, old cardboard taste some nuts have? That is rancid. If all you can find are old, rancid nuts, please don’t even try to make this pie. So, my advice, if you live in the midwest, eastcoast, or anywhere when you can’t find local walnuts at the farmers market, is get your nuts from a nut farm via the internet. Google it :) (And, if you can’t get fresh walnuts near you, feel free to substitute pecans.)
Filling Ingredients:
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to just warm to the touch
1 cup dark corn syrup
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1-½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ cup walnut halves
¾ cup chopped walnuts
Method:
- Make the crust dough: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse the flour and salt until combined. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until mixture resembles sand. Add the water and process for 1 full minute until the dough comes together in one mass.
- Remove the dough from the food processor, form into a disk and place it on a silicone mat or pastry board, or counter lightly dusted with flour. Dust top of dough with flour and roll out with a rolling pin, turning and lifting as you roll from the middle, outward to edge. Roll out to 3“ larger than your pan.
- Gently transfer the dough by rolling it on to the rolling pin and transferring it to a well buttered tart pan. Gently press it into the pan, taking care of the fluted sides. Trim any extra dough overhang. Use a fork to prick the bottom and sides of the dough. This is to release steam during baking. Place your dough, in the pan, in the freezer for at least 2 hours, or up to a day in advance.
- Blind-baking your crust: Pre-heat your oven to 375F. When your oven is hot, take your cold crust out of the freezer and place it on a baking sheet. Put a piece of parchment on it and fill the parchment with pie weights, dried beans, rice or loose change (my favorite). Bake it in the oven for 20 minutes or so. Remove the parchment with the weights and finish baking it until the crust is golden brown. If the edges start to get too brown before the center is done, you can gently tent the edges in aluminum foil to prevent them from burning. Remove your crust from the oven and allow to cool completely in the pan.
- Make the filling and bake the pie: Pre-heat oven to 350F.
- In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, corn syrup, sugar, bourbon, vanilla extract, and salt.
- Add the flour and whisk to combine.
- Switch to a spoon or spatula and mix in the walnut halves and pieces.
- Place your tart pan with crust onto a baking sheet, if it’s not already there.
- Pour the walnut mixutre into your prepared crust and bake it for approximately 55 minutes (start checking at 45), or until the filling is puffed and golden brown. The middle should still jiggle a bit, but feel “set.”
- Serve with whipped cream spiked with a splash of bourbon.