Nuts Pie from Bistango

Her grandmother used to bake this pie with Piedmont hazelnuts. She made this recipe her own by adding several kinds of nuts as well as finishing it with a pinch of fleur de sel, her favorite ingredient.

"Fleur de sel is my signature touch on all my desserts," explains she who grew up on the French island of Noirmoutier, where the salt is made. She loves to add a pinch of it everywhere and this pie was certainly no exception.

Nut pie recipe

PREPARATION TIME : 1 HOUR AND 45 MIN

WAITING TIME : 3 H + 45 MIN

NUMBER OF GUESTS : 8

DIFFICULTY LEVEL : CHALLENGING

VEGETARIAN

To prepare in advance :

Salted caramel :

INGREDIENTS :

125g sugar (approx. 2/3 cup)
60g honey (approx. 1/4 cup)
160g cream 35% (approx. 3/4 cup)
50g salted butter (approx. 1/4 cup)

PREPARATION :

- Start by heating the cream in a saucepan. Once hot, set it aside.

- In another saucepan, melt the sugar with the honey in medium heat to obtain a blond caramel. Once this color is obtained, add the butter and continue to stir on the heat.

- Gradually add the hot cream and boil the mixture for four minutes. Reserve in a glass container and refrigerate for 3 hours.

Roasted nuts :

INGREDIENTS :

50g pecans (approx. ½ cup)
50g hazelnuts (approx. ½ cup)
50g almonds (approx. ½ cup)

PREPARATION :

- Spread the nuts on a baking sheet

- In an oven preheated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees Celsius), bake the nuts for 15 minutes.

- Once out of the oven, crush them lightly. Store for several days in an airlight container.

To do on D day :

Sweet dough :

INGREDIENTS :

250g flour (approx. 2 cups)
100g sugar (approx. 1 cup)
1 egg
150g butter (1/2 cup + ¼ cup)

PREPARATION :

- In a bowl, mix the tempered butter with the sugar, add the egg, mix again and finish with the flour.
- Mix well by hand to obtain a very homogeneous paste that doesn’t stick. Set aside.

Almond cream:

INGREDIENTS :

100g unsalted butter (approx. ½ cup)
100g sugar (approx. 1 cup)
100g ground almonds (approx. 1 cup)
60g egg yolks (about three eggs)

PREPARATION :

- In a bowl, vigorously mix the tempered butter with the sugar, add the ground almonds, mix again and add the egg yolks.
- Mix until it turns white.
- Leave in the container at room temperature for the finishing step.

Put it all together :

- Roll out the cold dough about 5mm thick and place it in a pie dish. Press down firmly on the edges and bake for eight minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). Once the pastry is golden brown, add the almond cream and bake again for 7 minutes. Let cool.
- Mix the nuts and the caramel, add a pinch of fleur de sel and pour it over the cooled pie.

- Put the pie in the fridge and take it out 45 minutes before eating it.