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Hickory Nut Pie is a staple of chef Cory Western’s holiday tradition. “This pie is special to me because of my Grandma Barb and Grandpa Jerry,” Western says. “They like to collect hickory nuts in the fall and shuck them in the winter, then gift them to me and other family members. This recipe also works well with other nuts, especially black walnuts—if you’re brave enough to try and shuck them!”
Hickory Nut Pie
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ½ cups light corn syrup
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup butter
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- ¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
- 2 cups hickory nuts
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 raw pie crust, premade or from a recipe of your choosing
Heat the sugar and corn syrup in a pot on the stove until the sugar is dissolved. Cool slightly. Whip the eggs until they’re light and fluffy, then slowly drizzle in the sugar mixture while whisking; take your time so you don’t scramble the eggs. Mix in the butter, vanilla and nutmeg until the butter melts and emulsifies. Last, fold in the nuts and salt. Pour the mixture into your raw pie crust. Bake at 350 F until fully set, usually 45–60 minutes.
Butternut Squash Pie
Chef Cory Western adds a few twists to classic Pumpkin Pie. “First, I use butternut squash instead of canned pumpkin,” Western says. “I find that squash has much more flavor and butternut is so sweet it lends itself well to desserts. I also like to use less spice than most recipes so that the squash flavor really comes through.”
- 460 g. butternut squash, roasted
- 420 g. cream
- 4 eggs
- 100 g. sugar
- 125 g. brown sugar
- ¼ tsp. each: allspice, black pepper, cardamom, cloves and nutmeg
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 parbaked piecrust, premade or from a recipe of your choosing
Blend all filling ingredients in a blender until very smooth. Pour over a parbaked pie crust, being sure to fill the crust as full as possible. Bake at 325 F until fully set, usually 30-45 minutes. Rotate the pie halfway through baking.
