With Thanksgiving just around the corner, you may be considering the classic apple, pumpkin, or even cranberry pie for your holiday table. But there are suggestions that don’t smell like holiday candles. It’s a silky chocolate hazelnut custard baked into a flaky dough and topped with whipped cream and crunchy chopped hazelnuts. My name is Nutella pie.
I developed this recipe a few years ago for a pie-making class I taught in Seattle, and it took me several tries to get it right. At first I struggled to get enough of the hazelnut chocolate flavor into the custard, and even went so far as to make my own gianduja, but I realized I was overcomplicating things. If you want a pie filling that tastes like Nutella, why not just use Nutella? So I mixed the chocolate hazelnut spread with eggs, egg yolks, half and half, and a little hazelnut liqueur. Lo and behold, it baked into a very smooth, slicable custard, just like Nutella.
Ideally, a custard pie should have a smooth, creamy filling and be firm enough to slice neatly. At worst, the filling will clump around the edges and become overly soft in the center. To achieve the perfect set, before pouring the custard into the pie shell, you need to temper the eggs, just as you would if you were making crème brûlée. To do this, combine Nutella, eggs, and egg yolks in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Meanwhile, warm the halves and halves on the stove over medium-high heat. Once it starts to steam, slowly pour the hot liquid into the Nutella mixture, whisking rapidly all the while. This not only softens the eggs and prevents them from scrambling, but it also warms the custard considerably, allowing it to bake more quickly and evenly in the oven.
I’m not going to explain in detail how to make puff pastry. This technique requires its own article. However, remember the following: Puff pastry requires cold ingredients and a gentle touch (if you need a refresher, you might want to check out this article) video (From NYT Cooking). This recipe partially bakes the pastry before pouring the custard. This will ensure the pastry is crispy and golden before adding the custard base, and you can finish the pie slowly and slowly to prevent the filling from setting. I like to blind bake the dough the day before assembling the pie to break up the process, but if making pie crust is too much work, know that this pie is just as delicious baked in the oven. cookie dough.
The pie is fully baked when the filling looks almost set and still has a slight wobble in the center. I like to use an instant-read thermometer for this. This takes the guesswork out of perfect doneness. The center of the pie should be about 175°F (with some variation).
When your pie is finished, let it cool completely before serving for the best flavor and cleanest slices. Just before serving, spread a thick layer of whipped cream over the pie and sprinkle with chopped roasted hazelnuts. Of course, this dessert may not scream “holiday”, but let’s be real. It’s November and I’m already burnt out on all things pumpkin.
