YWPWT: Nutty Pies

Our pie challenge for August, thanks to Jacque at Daisy Lane Cakes, was to create something featuring nuts. My goodness -- there are so many choices out there. Not just the type of nut, but whether to use nuts as the focus in the filling or as an accompaniment in the crust.

Once again, I have been auditioning cookbooks (my bank account is suffering) and I was inspired to make a savory nut pie rather than the usual sweet one. Gruyère, Scallion, and Walnut Tart turned out to be quite delicious and will most likely appear at the table on a regular basis.

First, I assembled the main ingredients: cheese, scallions, walnuts, and custard filling:

Tart shell:


Next, the scallions are sprinkled onto the shell:


Then the cheese:


Then the nuts:


Followed by the custard filling:


Fresh from the oven:


Ready to eat:



All the ingredients can be prepared ahead of time, and the tart shell can be made in advance and either refrigerated or frozen. My cooking time was a bit longer than the recipe suggested. All taste testers gave this nutty, savory pie a big thumb's up!


Check out the You Want Pies With That? blog for other delicious, nutty pies.




Gruyère, Scallion, and Walnut Tart
(adapted from The Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri)

Ingredients:

One 10-11" tart shell, unbaked

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 bunch scallions (white part and half of the green part), thinly sliced
5 ounces (150 grams) coarsely shredded Gruyère cheese
4 ounces (100 grams) walnut pieces, toasted, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup milk
1/2 heavy cream
3 large eggs
salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C), placing rack at the lowest level.

Melt the butter in a small pan over medium heat and add the scallions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cook for a few minutes.

Distribute the cooked scallions evenly over the tart crust, then scatter the cheese and walnuts on top.

Whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and pour into the crust.

Bake the tart until the crust is baked through and well-colored on the bottom, and the filling is set and puffed, anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes.

Cool before unmolding.

Can be served warm or at room temperature.