Sweet crumbly walnut pie base with citrusy orange curd and cinnamon candied walnuts. The perfect winter dessert.
I am obsessed with oranges. I don’t know why but they have never been on my favorite fruits list. But this winter I realized that I am in love. I mean they are not to sweet, very refreshing, citrusym and I just love their bright color.
Ok, I am 100% sure you guys know oranges so I stop describing them. Also this post isn’t sponsored by oranges! :D
Last weekend I had to come up with a last minute dessert idea. I wanted to make something quick, that includes walnuts (cause we have a ton of them since Christmas). This recipe was the result.
It’s a super quick and simple recipe. I used my good old crumbly, sweet bar base recipe with a little change, I added some finelly crushed walnuts.
Then I made a small batch of cinnamon candied walnuts. These guys are the most dangerous snack ever. You just can’t stop eating.
I used orange curd as the pie „filling”. Basically I am not even sure if it’s a pie or a cake… well… let’s call it a pie but it really doesn’t matter.
See, you don’t need any special ingredient and it’s ready in less then two hours with cooling.
No excuses, you need a slice of this pie this weekend.
P.S.: Make the canided walnuts and the orange curd a day ahead to save some time!
Orange Walnut Pie
Prep Time: 10 min. Baking Time: 1,5 hours Total Time: 2 hours Portions: 8 slices
Ingredients:
For the base:
½ cup or 115g butter
½ cup or 110g granulated sugar
¼ cup or 40g brown sugar
¾ cup or 100g finely ground walntus
¾ cup or 100g all purpose flour
a pinch of salt
For the candied walnuts:
- 100 g walnuts
- 1 tablespoon egg white
- 1 teaspoon tablespoon water
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
For the orange curd:
the zest and the juice of two large oranges
200g granulated sugar
6 egg yolks
60g butter
Directions:
The base:
Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C. Line an 8-inch or 19 cm round cake tin with parchment paper.
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at 30 seconds intervalls around 1 minute.
Add both sugars and mix it well with a fork.
Mix in the flour, walnut and salt.
Spread the mixture in the tin and press it down with a spatula until you get a flat, packed base. Create a 1/2 inch high trim/edge.
Bake it for 20-30 minutes or until it’s golden brown. Let it cool down completely.
The candied walnuts:
Preheat your owen to 250 F or 120 C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl add the egg white, the water and the vanilla and whisk it with a fork until it's foamy.
In a small bowl mix together the cinnamon, the sugar and the salt.
Toss the walnuts in the egg mixture until they are fully covered.
Add the sugar mixture and mix until they are evenly coated.
Spread the nuts on the baking sheet into one even layer then put them in the oven for one hour. Stir them after every 15 minutes. Let them cool down completly.
The orange curd:
Put the orange juice, zest, sugar in a metal or glass bowl. Start cooking it on a bain-marine. ( Fill a pot with water and start boiling it. Then put the metal or glass bowl on top of the pot. Be careful and make sure that the bottom of the bowl isn’t in the water and the bowl is big enough. When you stir the curd use a kitchen cloth to hold the bowl because it can be hot.)
Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Mix in the cold butter.
When all the butter is melted take it off from the stove and add the egg yolks while you stir it with a whisk or a spoon. (Make sure you stir so the yolks don't cook. Nobody wants crumbled eggs in their curd ;)
Put it back to the stove and stir continuously until it’s cooked and thickened. Let it cool down.
Assembling the pie:
Chop half of the candied walnuts into tiny pieces. Keep the nicer whole pieces as a decoration. Sprinkle the base with the pieces.
Spread the orange curd on top of the base.
Decorate it with the candied walnut pieces.
Let it chill int he fridge or freezer before serving.
