DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.
Roll out dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Press dough into dish. Fold dough overhang under and crimp edges decoratively. Cover and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.
This pie is aptly named, as virtually all walnuts in the United States (and two-thirds of those in the world) come from California. The texture is similar to that of a pecan pie, but this dessert is perfumed with another famous California crop, the orange. 8 servings
1 Flaky Pie Crust dough disk (see recipe on page 233)
3 large eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
½ cup sugar
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups coarsely chopped walnuts
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Roll out dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold crust edge under; crimp decoratively. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
Whisk eggs in medium bowl until well blended. Add corn syrup, sugar, melted butter, orange peel, cinnamon, and vanilla; whisk until smooth. Stir in walnuts. Pour walnut filling into chilled crust.
Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue baking pie until puffed and set in center when dish is gently shaken, about 40 minutes longer. Cool pie completely on rack.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.
Hazelnuts and maple combine in a northern version of the southern favorite. Use dark Grade B maple syrup for the most intense maple flavor. 8 servings
1 Flaky Pie Crust dough disk (see recipe on page 233)
¾ cup pure maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
½ cup (packed) golden brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons bourbon
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large egg white, lightly beaten to loosen
1 cup hazelnuts, husked, coarsely chopped
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Roll out dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold crust edge under; crimp decoratively. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust until sides are set, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Continue to bake until set, pressing gently with back of spoon if crust bubbles, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer crust to rack and cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
Meanwhile, bring maple syrup, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt to boil in medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Continue boiling 1 minute, reducing heat as needed to prevent mixture from boiling over. Remove pan from heat. Add bourbon, then butter; whisk until butter melts. Let mixture cool to lukewarm, whisking occasionally, about 20 minutes.
Brush crust with egg white to coat. Scatter hazelnuts over. Whisk eggs and vanilla in medium bowl until blended. Whisk cooled maple mixture into egg mixture. Pour filling over hazelnuts in crust.
Bake pie until filling is set and slightly puffed, covering crust edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 50 minutes. Cool pie completely on rack.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.
Sorghum syrup is derived from a cereal-grass crop that grows in the South. Golden syrup comes from sugar cane, but unlike molasses, it is light in color and flavor. Salted North Carolina peanuts (sold as Golden Gourmet Peanuts) and sorghum syrup are available online at southernthings.com. Golden syrup can be found in some supermarkets or at specialty foods stores where maple syrup and other syrups are sold. 8 servings
Crust
1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
1 tablespoons (or more) ice water
Filling
⅓ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons unbleached all purpose flour
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 large eggs
½ cup golden syrup (such as Lyle’s Golden Syrup)
½ cup sorghum syrup, or ½ cup golden syrup (such as Lyle’s Golden Syrup) mixed with 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled slightly
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups coarsely chopped salted North Carolina peanuts or coarsely chopped salted cocktail peanuts
Vanilla ice cream
CRUST: Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons ice water; using on/off turns, blend just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold dough edges under and crimp decoratively. Freeze crust 15 minutes.
Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until crust is set, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Continue to bake until edges begin to color, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, about 13 minutes. Cool crust on rack while making filling. Maintain oven temperature.
FILLING: Whisk brown sugar, flour, coarse salt, cinnamon, and cayenne in medium bowl. Whisk eggs in another medium bowl to blend. Add golden syrup, sorghum syrup, melted butter, and vanilla to eggs and whisk to blend. Add brown sugar mixture and whisk until smooth. Mix in peanuts. Pour filling into cooled crust.
Bake pie 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Continue to bake until crust is golden and filling is set (center of filling may move slightly when dish is gently shaken), covering crust edges with foil if browning too quickly, about 40 minutes. Cool pie completely on rack.
DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely; store at room temperature.
Cut pie into wedges. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Fresh lemon juice and lemon peel add a nice pucker to the filling. A sweet cloud of meringue balances the tartness. When beating egg whites for the meringue, be sure to use a perfectly clean metal or glass mixing bowl. Using a copper bowl will result in an especially fluffy texture. Using nonstick aluminum foil (available at supermarkets) makes it easy to blind bake the crust; or simply spray regular foil with nonstick spray. 8 servings