CHESTNUT PIE WITH RUM CREAM

Chestnut Pie with Rum Cream image

This decadent pie comes from Sandro Micheli, pastry chef at Adour Alain Ducasse in New York City.

Provided by Martha Stewart

Categories Food & Cooking Dessert & Treats Recipes Pie & Tarts Recipes

Yield Makes one 9-inch pie

Number Of Ingredients 21

Ingredients

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup raw chestnuts, fresh or frozen, thawed
3 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chestnut puree
1/2 cup chestnut cream
1/4 cup creme fraiche
6 large egg yolks, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons ice water
3 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 whole vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped
Chestnut Tuiles, for garnish
Candied chestnuts, halved or quartered, for garnish

Steps:

Make the crust: Place all crust ingredients in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about the size of peas. (To mix by hand, combine ingredients in a large mixing bowl, rubbing the dry ingredients together using your fingers.) Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and shape into a flattened disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm and cold, about 2 hours.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to an 11-inch round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour; fit dough into a 9-inch metal pie plate, pressing firmly into bottom and sides; trim edges as necessary. Cover with plastic wrap; chill pie shell until firm, about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line pie dough with a sheet of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Transfer to oven and bake until light brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove pie weights and parchment paper. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
Make the filling: In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over low heat until it turns brown and has a nutty aroma. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and chestnuts and cook, stirring, until caramelized, about 2 minutes. Carefully add 1 tablespoon rum to deglaze skillet; transfer chestnuts to a baking sheet to cool.
In a medium bowl, mix together remaining 1/4 cup butter, chestnut puree, chestnut cream, and creme fraiche together until well combined. In another medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, eggs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and remaining 2 tablespoons rum. Add egg mixture to chestnut mixture and stir until filling is just combined.
Sprinkle chestnuts over bottom of crust and top with filling mixture. Transfer pie to oven and bake until set, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Make the rum cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk together heavy cream, mascarpone, sugar, rum, and vanilla bean seeds until ribbons form, about 5 minutes. Transfer cream to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain round tip. Decoratively pipe cream in a clockwise fashion, starting from the outside and working toward the center, to cover. Garnish pie with candied chestnut strips and tuile.