Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 Hirshon Vavavoom pie crust (for a single crust pie) or a disc of pre-made pie dough, if you must
- 42 g all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
- 2 1/2 cups coarsely-chopped raw walnuts
- ***
- Okinawan brown sugar syrup (kuruzato)
- 200 g Okinawan brown sugar
- 200 ml bottled water
- ***
- Egg mixture, combine all ingredients thoroughly:
- 4 large chicken eggs or duck eggs (duck eggs strongly preferred as they are richer)
- 1 cup Okinawan brown sugar syrup (kuruzato) (TFD change, replace with dark brown sugar for original)
- 1/4 cup Okinawan brown sugar (previously broken into small grains in a food processor) (can be replaced with dark brown sugar)
- 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted - TFD prefers KerryGold brand
- 1 Tbsp. organic heavy cream, preferably from a Jersey cow (TFD change, original was 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted)
- 3 Tbsp. Woodford Reserve double oaked bourbon
- 1 Tbsp. Bourbon vanilla paste - bourbon is the type, not IN bourbon the booze! (TFD change, original was vanilla extract)
- 1/2 Tbsp. Kentucky bourbon-barrel aged soy sauce (TFD heretical change, original was Diamond Crystal kosher salt)
- 1/2 Tbsp. white miso (TFD heretical change, original was Diamond Crystal kosher salt)
- ***
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided - TFD strongly prefers chopped-up Dove Promises dark chocolate
- flaky sea salt
- fresh whipped cream
- a leaf of spearmint, preferably the Kentucky Colonel varietal
Instructions
- Make the Kurozato or Okinawan sugar syrup: In a pan, put Kurozato and water, and soak for a while to break the sugar up easily. Mix with water with a spatula and turn the heat on medium. Bring to the boil then turn the heat to low, and remove the impurities off with a ladle. This can be made in advance and stored in the fridge.
- Make and roll out pie crust, on a lightly floured surface. Wrap dough around rolling pin and transfer to a standard 9″-diameter pie pan. Unfurl into dish, then lift edges and allow dough to slump down into dish. Trim overhang to about 1½”. Fold overhang under so crust is flush with edges of pan and crimp as desired with lightly floured fingers.
- Set pan on a rimmed baking sheet and prick bottom and sides of crust with a fork in several places. Freeze, uncovered, at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
- Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 400°. Line crust with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
- Bake crust, tenting edges with foil if browning too quickly, until edges are set and look dry, 20–25 minutes.
- Carefully lift out parchment paper and weights and continue baking crust, gently pressing bottom and sides occasionally with a flat-bottomed measuring cup if puffing up, until bottom looks dry and is golden, 20–25 minutes more.
- Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 350°.
- Toast coarsely chopped raw walnuts on same baking sheet, tossing halfway through, until darkened in color and fragrant, 12–16 minutes. Let cool on baking sheet.
- Scatter ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips or pieces over cooled crust. Pour egg mixture into crust, filling only 80% full. (Depending on the size of your pan you might have excess filling. If so, you can bake it in a ramekin on the side.)
- Scatter remaining ¼ cup semisweet chocolate chips or pieces over filling and place pie on a clean baking sheet.
- Bake pie, rotating halfway through and tenting edges with foil if they start to get too dark, until filling does not jiggle when tapped and feels firm to the touch, 25–35 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let pie cool. Transfer pan to fridge and chill pie 1 hour.
- Sprinkle pie with flaky sea salt if desired. Serve slices topped with whipped cream if desired.Do Ahead: Pie can be baked 2 days ahead. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature after chilling. If using, sprinkle with salt and top with whipped cream just before serving.