Marion Cunningham’s Walnut Pie
- Yield 12 servings
- Prep 30 mins
- Cook 20 mins
“I believe in sweet desserts, and this caramelly rich recipe is tried and true! I’ve passed it on to my daughter Catherine, who served it at a restaurant in the Stanford Court Hotel. Since its publication in my Baking Book, it’s been served in restaurants nationwide; it’s a joy to find it on menus.” Marion Cunningham
Ingredients
- Pastry
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into tablespoon-size pieces
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 1 -- egg
- 2-1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Filling
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1-1/2 cup brown sugar, tightly packed
- 2 -- eggs. lightly beaten
- 2 cups California walnuts, halves or large pieces
Instructions
Prepare the pie shell.
-
Preheat the oven to 425F.
-
Combine the ingredients in a food processor and process until the dough masses together, stopping two or three times to scrape down the sides and push the dough into the blade.
-
Form about two-thirds of the dough into a thick cake, then roll it out between two sheets of waxed paper, forming a circle about 12 inches across. (Extra dough can be rolled out, cut into desired shapes and baked until gold to make delicious cookies.)
-
Peel off the top sheet of waxed paper, the flip the dough, paper side up, into a 9-inch pie pan. Peel off the waxed paper, pat the dough snugly into the pan, the flute the edges.
-
Press a 12-inch square of heavy duty foil snugly into the pie shell, bake about 12 minutes, or until edges begin to brown.
-
Remove the foil and bake about 5 minutes longer, or until the bottom of the pie shell looks dry but not brown. If the dough puffs up during the last few minutes, prick it with a fork to deflate. Cool before filling.
Prepare the filling, bake the pie and serve.
-
Preheat the oven to 350F.
-
Beat the butter, sugar and egg together until well mixed. Stir in the walnuts.
-
Pour into the prepared pie shell and bake about 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top has puffed slightly, looks dry and lightly browned.
-
Let cool, and serve with softly whipped unsweetened cream
