A grown-up twist on a classic, this gluten-free walnut pie recipe includes a tipple of nocino walnut liqueur in addition to muscobado sugar, maple syrup, a creamy custard, and a mess of toasted walnuts.
Prep Time: 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 40 minutesminutes
Total: 1 hourhour
Servings: 10to 12 small but rich servings (makes one 9" pie)
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325º. Place the parbaked crust on a rimmed baking sheet (optionally lined with parchment for easy clean-up).
Spread the walnuts on another rimmed baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Let cool completely, then break them into halves and quarters.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, and salt. Whisk in the melted butter, then the eggs. Add the cream, maple syrup, nocino, and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Stir in the walnuts and pour the filling into the parbaked crust. Sprinkle evenly with the flaky salt.
Bake the pie until just set, 30-40 minutes. Ways to tell when the pie is done:-The pie wobbles slightly when you shake it from side to side, but doesn't slosh wetly.-An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 160-165ºF.-When you press down on the center of the pie with the back of a spoon, the custard feels softly set, like Jell-o.-The sides of the pie may be very slightly puffed, but they should not be so puffed that the pie cracks around the edges.
Remove the pie from the oven and let cool completely, 2 hours. Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream or whipped cream. Or chill before cutting for cleaner slices, letting the slices come to room temperature before serving.
The pie will keep at room temperature for up to a day, or chilled airtight for up to three days, though it is best the day of baking when the crust is crisp.
Notes
Loosely based on my Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie which was generously adapted from Cook's Country.If you don't have nocino on hand, you could try a different liqueur here such as coffee or hazelnut, decreasing the sugar a bit if the liqueur is on the sweet side. Alternatively, trade in walnuts for the pecans in my favorite Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie.I think you could throw down a layer of chopped bittersweet chocolate over the bottom of the crust prior to adding the filling for a chocolatey twist.You can use a wheat-based pie crust if not gluten-free.All ounce measurements here are by weight.Nutritional values are based on one of ten servings.