Pistachio Cream Pie

    I don't know what it is about midwestern men and pistachios, but I recently discovered it is a common obsession between many of them. It's ether one of their top 3 flavors or they are disgusted by it. For most of my husband's friend group, it is a top 3. So, when I was looking for a new treat to try making for bible study this week and I found an old bag of forgotten pistachios in my pantry, I decided to have a crack at pistachio cream pie! And boy, I am glad I did because this was honestly one of the best cream pies I have ever made!

    I started off my pie by making the crust. I put sugar, pistachios, and flour into a food processor along with frozen butter and blended it until it had a slightly coarser than sand texture. Then, I slowly added in my ice water until it started to stick together before I dumped it onto plastic wrap and pressed it all together. I put it in the fridge to chill for at least an hour before I pulled it back out, rolled it out, and put it into my pie plate. Since the filling of my pie won't be baked, I blind baked my crust at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 20 minutes and another 7 minutes without the weights. While my crust cooled, I got going prepping my filling. 

    To start my filing I put one cup of pistachios into the food processor and blended them up until they created a smooth paste. Then, in a small saucepan, I whisked together my eggs, sugar, and cornstarch until they were smooth before I turned the heat to medium-low and added in my milk, salt, and butter. I whisked it all periodically and let it simmer until it reached a pudding-like consistency. That is when I took it off of the heat and folded in my vanilla extract and pistachio paste I had made earlier. Before I poured the filling into the crust, I let it cool just until it was no longer steaming then dumped it in. 

    Once my crust was filled, I covered my pie so that a film didn't form on the top and stuck it in the refrigerator to set for at least 4 hours. Although, if you have more time, you can let it set overnight. When I am ready to serve it, I take the pie out of the refrigerator and serve it topped with homemade whipped cream and some more chopped pistachios.

    The result is an effortlessly stunning pie that has an amazing nutty flavor in almost every component, from the buttery crust, to the smooth filling and lighter but crunchy whipped cream and chopped pistachios. In my opinion, this is the best way to get your pistachio and sugar fix all in one!

 

    What did you think of this recipe? Use the comment section below!