Photo by Kieran Wagner

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yields

1 9-inch pie, about 8 servings

    ingredients
  • 1 7-ounce ball of prepared pie dough (pie dough recipe follows)
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup maple sugar
  • ¾ cup sorghum syrup
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2½ tablespoons rye whiskey
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 2½ cups hickory nuts, toasted (can substitute walnuts)
  • For the Pie Dough
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ cup sorghum flour or cornmeal
  • 2 tablespoons lard
  • ½ cup butter, cut into small pieces
  • ½ cup chilled buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
steps
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie dough to a fit into a 9-inch pie pan with a little overhang. Transfer dough to pie pan and set aside.
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except hickory nuts. Mix until uniform.
  4. Pour hickory nuts evenly over pie dough that is fitted in the pie pan. Pour filling over nuts.
  5. Bake 40–45 minutes, or until filling has set. Allow to cool 30–45 minutes before serving.

Pie Dough

  1. Sift flour, salt, sugar, and cornmeal together into a large mixing bowl.
  2. Add lard and work it into dry ingredients with your fingers until well incorporated. Repeat with butter, and then transfer contents of bowl to a food processor.
  3. Pulse 3-4 times, or until mixture resembles coarse meal. Return mixture to bowl, add buttermilk and cider vinegar, and stir until it begins to come together to form a dough.
  4. On a lightly floured surface, knead dough into a coherent shape, folding it over itself in order to give crust a layered, flaky texture.
  5. Transfer dough to a floured surface, and roll into a 12 inches circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Lightly flour top of crust and carefully roll it onto the rolling pin. Unroll it over a 9-inch pie pan and crimp the edges. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  • from Chef Travis Milton of Comfort, Richmond, VA

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