White Chocolate Cashew Pie
Submitted by dietzel1
White chocolate cashew pie, a sophisticated cousin to pecan pie with chunks of cashew, melty white chocolate, and a splash of kirsch cherry brandy. Brown-sugar custard, made-from-scratch crust.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
45 minREADY
90 minThink of this as pecan pie's well-traveled cousin. The base is the same brown-sugar-and-corn-syrup custard you’d find in a classic Southern pecan pie, but the nuts are buttery cashews, the chocolate is creamy white chocolate, and a splash of kirsch (cherry brandy) brings unexpected depth. The result reads as familiar but distinctly more sophisticated.
The homemade crust is part of the deal. The recipe walks you through a butter-and-shortening combination crust, which gives you the flavor of butter with the flakiness of shortening; the best of both worlds. Resting the dough for several hours is key for a tender, manageable crust that won’t shrink during baking.
Kirsch deserves a mention. It’s a clear cherry-pit brandy from the Alps, traditionally used in fondue and Black Forest cake. Just 1½ tablespoons in this pie adds a faintly fruity, almost almond-like note that plays off the cashews and white chocolate beautifully. If you can’t find kirsch, see the variations below.
Pro Tips
- Toast the chopped cashews in a dry skillet for 5 minutes before adding to the filling. Toasted nuts taste twice as nutty as raw.
- Chop the white chocolate to about pea-sized; bigger chunks sink and clump in the bottom of the filling.
- Don’t overbake. Pull the pie when the filling has just set in the center and still jiggles slightly. It firms further as it cools.
- Cover the crust edges with foil if they brown too fast during the long bake.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
Crust: In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together flour, salt and baking powder.
Cut the butter into 46 cubes and toss in to flour, add the shortening with your finger rubbing the shortening and the butter into the flour until the flour becomes sandy.
Sprinkle a small amount of the water into the dough, tossing it in gently add enough water until the dough becomes moist, be sure not to over mix.
Make a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours until firm.
Once the dough is firm, turn out onto a floured surface, and with a rolling pin, roll the dough into a ¼ inch thick round, about approximately 12-inches in diameter.
Place the dough into a 9 inch pie tin, firmly pressing into the bottom and sides.
Trim the overhang until even, fold under and crimp.
Place in refrigerator until ready to use.
Filling: Combine in a bowl with a whip the butter, sugar, and the eggs one at a time, then add the remaining ingredients, mixing well.
Pour into prepared pie shell. Bake at 350℉ (180℃) for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Can be served with lightly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
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