A Southern-style pistachio pie is made of a rich, buttery custard filling sweetened with honey and brightened with orange zest and orange liqueur, creating a gooey, caramel-like center with a soft custard texture and a crunchy toasted-pistachio top, all baked in a flaky crust for a nutty twist on the classic pecan pie.
Pecan pie is an American national treasure and as such it had a great impact on the culinary world. We all know the classic version of Chocolate Pecan Pie, and today we venture into a whole new world of bright and zesty pistachios pie enhanced with Orange Liquor.
Serve it with a scoop of Pistachio whipped cream, for the perfect Southern experience.
Key Ingredients
The complete recipe is at the bottom of this post, including measurements, here is a quick recap for the ingredient that make this key so unique.
- Pistachios. In this recipe we incorporate the pistachios in two ways: chopped and whole for the texture, and to make it look pretty. I will add and say, that the whole pistachios make it a bit tricky to slice the pie, but nothing that a sharp knife won’t fix.
- Orange Zest and Honey. Orange zest and honey: When I created this recipe, I envisioned a flavor and texture profile that was nutty, sweet, bright, and zesty. To achieve that signature gooey “Southern-style” texture, I needed a sticky syrup: honey was the perfect choice, offering sweetness that complements pistachios without overpowering them, just like the orange does.
- Orange Liquor. It is important to use some type of liquor because it balances the sweetness coming from the sugar and honey. Orange liquor adds a “punchy” brightness to the pie. You can also use brandi, or whiskey.
- Turbinado sugar.It is a sugar minimally processed cane sugar, making it less sweet and with a very mild, almost not noticeable molasses flavor. You can also use regular granulated sugar instead.
- Par Baked All-Butter Pie Crust. Because the filling is custardy, it is very important not to over bake it, otherwise it will be grainy. Partly baking the pie crust is the best way to make sure we are not tempting to over bake the pie.You can use store-bought.
Make It
There are three steps to make this pie: partially bake the pie crust, make the filling, and bake the pie. The first part can be made up to 24 hours in advanced.
Partially Bake The Pie Crust
- Make sure to line the crust with parchment paper before topping it with pie weight, or dry beans.
- Do not remove the pie weights when the crust is hot from he oven, it might shrink. Give it 10-15 minutes to cool and set.
- Glass and ceramic (the pan dish) are not a very good heat conductors, so when you warm up the oven, place a large cookie pan at the bottom shelf, then bake the crust on top of it, this will ensure an even distribution of heat.
- The extra three minutes might not seem like they make a lot of difference, but of you look you can see that the bottom of the crust bakes slightly more.
Make The Filling And Bake
- It takes about 10 minutes to make the filling, so make sure the oven is ready and warm.
- Even though the pistachios are the bottom and in the custard, they will travel to the top during baking.
- Bake the pie at the middle oven rack over a large cookie sheet.
- The pie is ready when the center is puffed and jiggles, bit the center is set. It should take anything between 30-40 minutes, but my oven is different than yours so pay attention tot he pie and not the timer.
- Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing, topping and serving.
Yields and Store
This recipe make one 9-inch pie, about 8-10 slices, depending on how big each slice is.
Store at room temperature for up to three days, leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container (or wrap the pie dish in a plasitc wrap then aluminum foil) for up to two weeks. To reheat, place the pie in a 300°F preheated oven over the middle oven rack for 10 minutes. Avoid overheating.
Southern Style Pistachio Pie
Ingredients
- 1 Recipe Pie Crust
- 3/4 Cup (150g) Turbinado sugar
- 1 Cup (150g) Chopped pisatchios
- zest of half orange
- 2 Large Orange at room temprature
- 1 Large Egg yolk
- 1/2 Cup (120ml) Honey
- 1/4 Cup (55g) Unsalted butter
- 1/4 Cup (60ml) Orange liquor, or whisky
- 1 Cup (150g) Whole pistachios
Instructions
- Roll dough into 12"-14" circle then gently press the rolled dough into the pie dish. Shape the edges as you please and place back in the refrigerator while you oven is warming.
- Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a large cookie sheet over the bottom oven rack.
- Line the pie crust with parchment paper and top it with pie weights, or dry beans.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow it to chill for 10-15 minutes.
- Gently remove the pie weights/beans along with the parchment paper and bake for additional 3 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and set a side to chill while you make the filling.
- Reduce oven temperatur to 325°F.
Make The Filling
- In a large bowl, mix the sugar, orange zest, and chopped pistachios.
- Pour the honey and butter into a small sauce pan and warm over the stove, until the butter is completely melted.
- Pour the honey mixture over the sugar-pistachio mixture and mix until fully incodporated.
- Mix in the eggs, followed by the orange liquor.
- Top the par-baked pie crust with the whole pistachios, then pour the liquid mixture over the pistachios into the crust.
- Bake the pie over a cookie pan, for 35-40 minutes, until the center is slightly puffy and jiggles, but the sides are set.
