From an early age, Jessica McKinney’s passion for the culinary arts has taken her from her parents’ own restaurant kitchen to the kitchens of Le Cordon Bleu, which she graduated from in 2012, and later to the Four Seasons Atlanta. Now serving as executive pastry chef at Canoe, Atlanta’s quintessential, historically located fine dining restaurant, McKinney excels at creating delicious desserts. Her Southern Style Pistachio Pie blends the rich flavor of pistachio with the lighter, sweet taste of blackberry ice cream, creating a decadent dessert perfect for hitting that sweet tooth. Whether you’re a pistachio lover or simply passionate about the sweeter things in life, this pistachio pie makes for an excellent summertime treat.
Blondie Crust
2 cups packed, light brown sugar
1 1/4 cup melted, unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch pie pan with nonstick spray. Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, pour brown sugar into bowl. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter for 30 seconds at a time until fully melted. Once butter is ready, slowly add to brown sugar. Next, pour eggs and vanilla extract into the sugar-butter mixture. Once eggs are well incorporated, in two stages add all-purpose flour and salt. Pour blondie mixture into the bottom of your pan. Spread evenly with a spatula. Bake for 20 minutes and then set aside until pistachio filling is ready.
Pistachio Filling
1 cup unsalted butter
1 1/3 cups light brown sugar
4 Tbsp. granulated sugar
3/4 cup honey
4 Tbsp. heavy cream
3 cups shelled pistachios
Place butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, honey and heavy cream into a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula. Using a thermometer, cook until filling reaches 220 degrees F. Remove from heat and carefully pour in pistachios and stir with rubber spatula. Once pistachios are incorporated, pour over blondie crust. Bake at 325 degrees for exactly 15 minutes. Filling will appear to be soft when you remove pie from the oven but will firm up while cooling. Allow to cool for 2 hours in the refrigerator before serving topped with blackberry or old-fashioned vanilla ice cream.
Recipe and photo courtesy of Canoe and Chef Jessica McKinney.
