Photo by Jenny McQueen
Good news, friends: It’s fig season! Figs come into season in Virginia in the early fall and stick around for a couple of months. I implore you to buy them and use them as much as you can: in jam, alongside roast pork, topped with goat cheese and honey, or scattered on a fresh salad. Figs’ flavor can range from mild to rich depending on whether they’re eaten raw or cooked, making them extremely versatile. As baked goods have my heart, I have chosen to share my recipe for walnut fig pie with you today – a perfect accompaniment to cooler fall weather.
Honey walnut pie is the Southern cousin to pecan pie. Both are made with eggs, sugar and nuts. While pecan pie has a gooey, almost creamy filling due to the addition of corn syrup, honey walnut pie offers a slightly drier consistency with the nuanced sweetness that only honey can offer. Walnuts also have a lower sugar content than pecans, making this pie a nice substitute for people who find pecan pie too sweet. Additionally, the walnuts are chopped, so the pie has a more even, almost crumbly consistency as opposed to pecan pie with its distinct filling layer and whole pecan topping. The lovely thing about combining figs alongside the walnut filling is that you end up with something akin to a fig crisp inside a pie shell.
There are hundreds of varieties of figs, and as their popularity has grown in the states, we have access to dozens at many local markets. You are probably most familiar with the black mission fig, with a dark purple outer skin and a luscious magenta center. This varietal offers spectacular flavor with a subtle sweetness that can easily complement both the sweet and the savory. While mission figs are always a good choice, if you see additional varieties at your local market, I encourage you to scoop them up and give them a whirl!
Walnut Fig Pie
Yield: One 9-inch pie
Crust
1 cup walnuts
2 cups flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 sticks cold butter, cut into pieces
1/3 cup ice water
Fig filling
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon very cold butter, cut into tiny bits
1 ½ pounds fresh figs, chopped (about the size of blueberries) plus 4 whole figs (Note: Purchase about 1 ½-2 pounds of figs and reserve 4 whole figs for the top of the pie.)
Honey walnut filling
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
½ cup honey
¼ cup packed brown sugar
3 Tablespoons melted butter
Zest from 1 orange
3 Tablespoons orange juice
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts
For the crust:
Combine walnuts, flour, sugar, ginger and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor. Process until walnuts are finely chopped.
Add the butter pieces and pulse until the mixture is blended and the butter is in small pea-sized pieces.
Add the ice water 1-2 Tablespoons at a time until the mixture is soft and cohesive. You will most likely not end up using all of the water.
Remove from the food processor, wrap in plastic and place in fridge while you prepare the filling.
For the fig filling:
Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt and mix well. Add the chopped figs and set aside. Reserve the cold butter for now.
For the honey walnut filling:
Combine the eggs, honey and brown sugar in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until light in color – about 5 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.
Set aside.
Assembly:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Dust a clean workspace with flour. Remove pie crust from fridge and roll into a 14-inch circle.
Place dough circle into a 9-inch pie plate and trim any pieces hanging over. Crimp the edges decoratively.
Spoon your fig mixture around the outer edge of the pie, leaving the center empty.
Grab your walnut filling and give it a quick stir, just in case any of the eggs or sugar separated.
Pour the walnut filling into the center of the pie. This will create a ring of fig filling around a delicious walnut middle.
Remember the butter bits from the fig filling? Sprinkle them over the fig mixture.
Slice your reserved figs in half and arrange them in a circle around the edge of the pie.
Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
Reduce heat to 325 and continue to bake for an additional 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
Serve at room temperature, with a dollop of whipped cream if you want to be extra fancy.
September 23, 2020 at 09:03PM
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Honey walnut fig pie is early autumn in a pastry crust - Chesterfield Observer
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