2.07.2009

Honey Walnut Pie

Honey Walnut Pie

Did You Know? The sugar concentration in honey is so high that no bacteria can live in it. It has even been used in hospitals as a dressing for wounds, burns, and cuts.

My dad has been going to classes to become a bee keeper, so I wanted to make him this honey-rich dessert, courtesy of Martha Stewart. I can only imagine how much tastier it will be once we have honey straight from the bees in our backyard. It sounds like a strange thing to get into, but with 75% of our food coming from the honey bee, it's really an important hobby. So to see where his new fascination of all things bees came from, I came home from school on Thursday night to go to bee school with my dad, and it was so interesting. There's definately a lot of information thrown at you, all of which will be fun to share with you through my "Did You Know" section.



Honey Walnut Pie

Now onto the pie. The crust definately makes it, so don't skimp on ingredients, and make sure to use a good pate brisee recipe (like the one below). Full of finely chopped walnuts, and sticky, sweet honey, this pie is like a giant piece of baklava. My parents loved the flavors immediately, but I found a refrigerated-slice the next morning to be much more enjoyable.


Honey Walnut Pie

The orange zest was a little overpowering for me, so I might omit that the next time. My brother and I were brainstorming other ways I could take this dessert, and we both thought a little cinnamon would be nice. He also suggested some mini-chocolate chips or shaved chocolate if that's your preference. However you enjoy this, it's sure to please. It's not too sweet, which I love, and made for an excellent breakfast the day after. I'd love to hear any variations you might have in mind, so let me know. Enjoy!


Honey Walnut Pie

Honey Walnut Pie
The original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest. I might leave this out the next time, and also add some cinnamon.

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
Pate Brisee, Walnut Variation
4 large eggs, lightly beaten, plus 1 lightly beaten egg for brushing
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, plus 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
Fine sanding sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a 10-inch tart ring on a baking sheet lined with parchment; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick; cut into a 14-inch round. Fit into tart ring; trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Freeze while making filling.

Whisk together 4 eggs, the honey, granulated sugar, butter, orange zest and juice, salt, and flour in a large bowl. Stir in walnuts. Pour into tart shell.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into an 11-inch round. Cut 5 slits for vents. Drape over filling. Trim overhang to 1 inch; fold over bottom crust. Press edges to seal, and tuck into ring. Brush with remaining beaten egg, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake until a knife inserted in one of the vents comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; let cool completely. Remove ring before serving. Can be stored, covered, overnight.

*I had mine both room temperature and refrigerated, and preferred the latter. The cold, buttery crust was perfect, and the filling got a chance to set up.


Honey Walnut Pie

37 comments:

  1. Perfect treat for your dad!! And just perfect in general :-D

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  2. I bet you dad just loves that you are interested in what he is doing.

    Honey Bees are an important part of our life so I am happy to hear that is wanting to be a Bee Keeper.

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  3. looks delicious as always! bee school sounds fun...that's so unique!

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  4. Gorgeous!

    I used to put honey on my cuts and wounds. It works amazingly!

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  5. Oh wow - this looks amazing. I really love honey and nuts together. This sort of reminds me of a pecan pie!

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  6. I would love to try that walnut brisee! Oh the food items I could create with that alone.
    I always love your photos! So pretty.

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  7. I love honey!! I am always trying to find ways to incorporate it into baking. This pie sounds wonderful

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  8. This looks fabulous. I am so going to try it with your recommendations. I LOVE your photos. You are so talented..

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  9. This sounds so good, almost like baklava in pie form.

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  10. That pie looks really good! I like using walnuts in dishes like this.

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  11. VeggieGirl: Thanks, he loved it!

    Terry & Dennis: The whole process is so interesting. He just put in an order for 10,000 bees!

    Tyler: The school was so cool. I highly recommend it.

    Shelby: I love homemade remedies like that, I'll have to try it out.

    Ashley: I bet it would be great without the top crust, and baked like a pecan pie.

    Dawn: You must try the walnut pate brisee, it was definately my best crust to date.

    Esi: I too love honey, and besides being good for you, it tastes so much better than sugar.

    Donna-FFW: Let me know how it works out, and thank you so much - you're way too kind.

    Sara: Exactly what I thought!

    Kevin: Thanks, and me too.

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  12. A bee keeper..thatis sooo very cool! Love the pie

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  13. Wow, keeping your own bees is hardcore! This pie looks delicious. Kind of like baklava but with pie crust:-)

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  14. the filling. Now to figure out how to make this gluten-free. Maybe Paula Deen's tassie cups made with a g-f flour? Hmmm.
    Margaret

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  15. Sounds like a wonderful pie with some vanilla ice-cream...delicious!

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  16. hmm...I might add some ginger in to make it a wintery pie!

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  17. What an interesting new hobby for your father! I've read recently that honey bees seem to be myteriously disappearing so I hope he's very successful at it.

    The pie looks and sounds wonderful!

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  18. baklava in pie form? i drool. and drool some more. :)

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  19. I love honey. This sounds delicious!

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  20. hello! thank you so much for visiting my blog! and that tidbit about honey - so interesting! i love learning random facts about food. and that pie looks absolutely delicious.

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  21. What a gorgeous pie! I bet it tastes a bit like baklava (my "honey"'s favorite dessert!) :)

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  22. How ironic - I just got off the phone with my brother - who is a beekeeper! He's putting his last load of bees out in an almond orchard in Northern California. He's got almost 3,000 hives. Crazy for a small operation! We're always looking for good recipes using honey and this one looks like a winner!

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  23. Lori: That's so awesome! What's the name of your brother's business? I'd love to look him up, so my dad could have another resource. 3,000 hives?! That's crazy, but he have a wealth of knowledge on the topic, and I'm sure my dad could come up with a question or two for him once we get this operation up and running. Thanks!

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  24. Mmm, sounds like baklava in pie form!

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  25. I wish I could reach into my computer screen and grab some! I love walnuts, this looks fabulous! I'd imagine pecans would work well too.

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  26. This is so sweet. How perfect for your dad too! This pie looks delicious!!

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  27. Hey there! I just discovered your blog and am in awe - it is remarkable! All your recipes and your pictures are fantastic. This recipe especially is my favorite so far. I am an ardent advocate for honey and would love to try this dish. It looks like the textures are phenomenal.

    By the way, I'm also a college student, but am a good amount younger and clearly not as culinarily experienced than you. However, if you would be interested in starting a student food blog group-type thing, I wouldn't object. E-mail me with any thoughts :)

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  28. That sounds fascinating! Honey definitely tops the list of my favorite foods, and walnuts and honey.... you'd have to pry this pie out of my hands to get a piece. Excellent!

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  29. What a fun pie, the filling is so unique -- I love the flavors. It was very sweet of you to make this for your dad.

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  30. Seriously, Chickpea, I want some! Beautiful pictures!

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  31. Wow!!

    That pie looks beyond good. How did you get your crust so perfect? Thanks for sharing!!

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  32. Your dad is so lucky! And they're trying to make bee keeping legal in NYC now, did you know that? It's a good thing, since the pour bees don't seem to be doing very well right now. Maybe eventually you'll be able to make this with your dad's honey. That would be so cool! You should totally do a post on harvesting honey!

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  33. How awesome that your dad is learning about bee keeping! This dessert looks absolutely amazing. I can smell the honey... :)

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  34. your pictures step-by-step are so helpful, i really enjoy your blog thank you

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  35. I baked this pie, and something went terribly wrong... after I had cooked it, it was still runny and not at all as the photo suggested. I assume the oven degrees was Fahrenheit, and I converted to celcius. Do u think that is were the problem came in? Its a bit of an expensive bake to go wrong. Any suggestions PLS :(

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  36. Hi Jacquie, I'm so sorry to hear you weren't pleased with the results! I'm not really sure where the problem stems from. Did you let the pie cool completely before slicing it open? Or maybe try baking it for a little longer, maybe an hour? A knife inserted into the baked pie should come out clean. The filling was on the thicker side pre-baking, so make sure your filling wasn't soupy. Maybe try adding a little cornstarch? Hope this helps!

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