Date & Walnut Pie

 

 

If you are a fan of dates and walnuts, then you are going to fall in love with this very simple Date and Walnut Pie recipe which I am sharing with you today. 

Its rich and indulgent with a fabulous almond pastry and a wonderful caramel-like creamy date and toasted walnut filling.  

In short it is incredibly delicious!  

 

The recipe is one which I adapted from a cookbook by Ken Haedrich, entitled Pie Academy, master the perfect crust and 255 amazing fillings.  I have always loved Ken's baking books and owned several of them when I was living in the UK.

This book was a gift from my American friend Cynthia.  It is the best pie book around.  When it comes to everything about dessert pies, you need look no further than this book, and this recipe I am sharing today is the perfect example of what to expect.

 

It is a wonderfully rustic pie with a free form crust.  The pastry is an almond pastry and is beautifully short and buttery.    It has a lovely nutty almond flavor and crunchiness.  

The use of nuts in the dough help to relax the dough, making it very easy to roll at the right temperature. Too cold, and it will crack as will any pastry containing ground nuts.

If you follow the instructions exactly, there will be no problems whatsoever as you can see from the photographs below in the how to section.

 

I simply adore dates. Nature's candy, they are filled with fiber and sweetness.  In this filling they are chopped and combined with a mixture of rich cream, sugar and vanilla to give you a sweet toffee-like sticky filling.

The use of chopped toasted walnuts helps to cut some of the sweetness and gives a lovely crunch and texture to the filling.

Together, this crunchy caramel filling and short almond crust create a pie that  is unabashadly rich and unimaginably delicious.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE DATE & WALNUT PIE

The ingredients are pretty much store cupboard staples around my home.  I am hoping they are also store cupboard staples in yours! 

For the almond pastry:

• 1/3 (56g) cup whole blanched almonds, toasted or not as you wish, cooled and coarsely chopped
• 2 1/2 TBS sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (210g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (120g) cold butter, cut into half in cubes
• 1 large free-range egg yolk
• cold water
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

For the filling:

• 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (50g) sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (230g) coarsely chopped soft Medjool dates
• 1 1/2 cups (174g) chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 TBS milk for the glaze

 

I keep my nuts and dried fruits in the freezer in tightly covered containers. That way they last a lot longer. With only me in the house I don't go through things quite as quickly as I used to when I had a family around. 

When I need to use them, I simply bring them to room temperature and proceed.

It is very easy to toast nuts.  Simply spread them out on a baking sheet and toast them in a moderate oven for 8 to 10 minutes. (350*F/189*C) Allow them to cool to room temperature before proceeding.

I had been hoping to use my new pie holder today to showcase this lovely pie. Alas my pie was too large in circumference to fit into it.  It is made by a company called Mud Pie and it just the cutest thing. It came with a silver-plated spatula that has the words Piece & Love stamped on it.

I told myself that every now and then I am going to buy myself a prop piece for taking better food photos.  This was the first thing I purchased along that line. I fell in love with it and thought it was really cute.  At this time of year of course I can use it with the lid to protect my pies, but any other time of year I can just use the base and the spatula. I really love dishes with words on them.

HOW TO MAKE DATE & WALNUT PIE

You can start by making the crust. That way it has time to rest in the fridge while you put the filling together. Using a food processor for this makes things a lot faster and easier.

First make the pastry. Pop the almonds into the bowl of a food processor. (Make sure they are cold.) Add the sugar and pulse until finely ground. Do not overdo it. They will turn into a paste, and you don't want that. Add the flour and salt. Pulse a few times.

Drop in the cold butter cubes and pulse six or seven times until the pieces of butter are about the size of a pea.

Put the egg yolk into a glass measuring cup. Add cold water to equal 1/4 cup (60ml). Add the almond extract and then beat together with a fork.

Pour the egg mixture slowly down through the feeder tube of the food processor, pulsing the machine as you add it, until the dough starts to form large clumps. Tip out onto the counter and form into a ball. Knead gently two or three times to smooth it out. Shape it into a flat disc, 3/4 inch thick. Wrap and chill for at least an hour. 

To make the filling, combine the 3/4 cup (180ml) of the cream and the sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently to a simmer, stirring. then reduce to low and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the vanilla.

Have the dates in a large bowl. Pour the cream over top and stir to combine. Leave to stand for 10 minutes. Stir in the walnuts and the cinnamon. Mix all well together. Leave to stand for half an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Have a large baking tray ready.

Have a large square of baking parchment on the counter. Dust it lightly with flour and dust your rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll the pastry out into 13-inch circle.

Add the remaining 1/4 cup (60ml) of cream to the date mixture, mixing it in thoroughly. Scrape the filling into the center of your pastry circle. Spread it out to a 9-inch circle. (Take care not to pierce or tear the pastry.)

Fold the edges of the pastry up over the filling all the way around, pleating it as you go. Brush the pastry border lightly with the egg/milk mixture and sprinkle with some more sugar.

Carefully lift onto the baking sheet. (This is really easy to do when you use the baking parchment to just slide it over onto the baking sheet.)

Bake on one of the lower oven racks for 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool the pie completely.

Serve lukewarm or at room temperature with scoops of vanilla ice cream on top, or whipped cream if that is how you roll!

 

I could hardly wait for this pie to cool down enough so that I could dig in and taste it.  I sent half of it home with my sister. It is so rich and decadent.  She had a taste here at my house and fell in love with it as well.

I just know my father is going to think he died and went to heaven. He loves anything with dates and walnuts.  I can't wait to hear later on what he thought of it! 

 

If dates and walnuts aren't your thing, perhaps you might enjoy some of these other pie recipes:

RUSTIC PLUM TART - I love anything rustic and fuss free. That's why I love this tart so much. Using purchased pastry and a few additional ingredients, you can have a delicious plum tart cooling, ready to be eaten in less than an hour. I love the marzipan that lies like a tasty secret underneath the plums. This will have them coming back for more. 

MOM'S BEST APPLE PIE - I know everyone thinks their mother made the best apple pies. I am no different. This is my mother's recipe, and it is a delicious pie. Pure and simple with no bells and whistles. We always loved to enjoy it with a wedge of a good cheddar cheese.  Soooo delicious!

Yield: 8 - 10

Author: Marie Rayner

Date-Walnut Pie

Prep time: 1 H & 15 MCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 1 H & 55 M

This free-form pie is one of the most delicious pies you could ever bake. With its almond pastry crust and rich almost caramel-like date and toasted walnut filling, it is unabashedly rich. This is one for the holidays! A taste of this is like a celebration in the mouth!

Ingredients

For the almond pastry:

• 1/3 (56g) cup whole blanched almonds, toasted or not as you wish, cooled and coarsely chopped
• 2 1/2 TBS sugar
• 1 1/2 cups (210g) plain all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (120g) cold butter, cut into half in cubes
• 1 large free-range egg yolk
• cold water
• 1/2 tsp almond extract

For the filling:

• 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (50g) sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups (230g) coarsely chopped soft Medjool dates
• 1 1/2 cups (174g) chopped walnuts, toasted
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg, beaten with 1 TBS milk for the glaze

Instructions

1. First make the pastry. Pop the almonds into the bowl of a food processor. (Make sure they are cold.) Add the sugar and pulse until finely ground. Do not overdo it. They will turn into a paste, and you don't want that. Add the flour and salt. Pulse a few times.
2. Drop in the cold butter cubes and pulse six or seven times until the pieces of butter are about the size of a pea.
3. Put the egg yolk into a glass measuring cup. Add cold water to equal 1/4 cup (60ml). Add the almond extract and then beat together with a fork.
4. Pour the egg mixture slowly down through the feeder tube of the food processor, pulsing the machine as you add it, until the dough starts to form large clumps. Tip out onto the counter and form into a ball. Knead gently two or three times to smooth it out. Shape it into a flat disc, 3/4 inch thick. Wrap and chill for at least an hour.
5. To make the filling, combine the 3/4 cup (180ml) of the cream and the sugar in a small saucepan. Heat gently to a simmer, stirring. then reduce to low and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the vanilla.
6. Have the dates in a large bowl. Pour the cream over top and stir to combine. Leave to stand for 10 minutes. Stir in the walnuts and the cinnamon. Mix all well together. Leave to stand for half an hour.
7. Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Have a large baking tray ready.
8. Have a large square of baking parchment on the counter. Dust it lightly with flour and dust your rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll the pastry out into 13-inch circle.
9. Add the remaining 1/4 cup (60ml) of cream to the date mixture, mixing it in thoroughly. Scrape the filling into the center of your pastry circle. Spread it out to a 9-inch circle. (Take care not to pierce or tear the pastry.)
10. Fold the edges of the pastry up over the filling all the way around, pleating it as you go. Brush the pastry border lightly with the egg/milk mixture and sprinkle with some more sugar.
11. Carefully lift onto the baking sheet.
12. Bake on one of the lower oven racks for 40 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown. Transfer the baking sheet to a rack and cool the pie completely.
13. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature with scoops of vanilla ice cream on top, or whipped cream if that is how you roll!

Did you make this recipe?

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