Arizona Prickly Pear Cactus Pie

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •9-inch pie plate
• •Pastry blender or two forks
• •Fine-mesh strainer and cheesecloth
• •Heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan
• •Pie weights or dried beans
• •Hand mixer or whisk

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pie dough

   Whisk flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and work them into the flour using a pastry blender or your fingertips, pressing and smearing until you have a mix of pea-sized lumps and smaller, flour-coated flakes. This takes three to four minutes by hand. The irregular fat pieces create flaky layers.

2. 2

   Bring the dough together

   Drizzle three tablespoons of ice water over the flour mixture. Toss with a fork until the dough begins clumping. Squeeze a handful: if it holds together, you have enough water. If it crumbles, add the remaining tablespoon. Turn dough onto a clean surface, press into a disk about one inch thick, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.

   Overnight rest hydrates the flour fully and relaxes the gluten, making the dough easier to roll and less prone to shrinking during baking.
3. 3

   Extract the prickly pear juice

   If using whole fruits, handle them with thick gloves or tongs. The tiny hairlike spines (glochids) are invisible and vicious. Rinse fruits under running water, scrubbing with a vegetable brush. Trim both ends, slice lengthwise, and scoop the flesh into a blender. Pulse until liquefied, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth, pressing firmly. You need one and a half cups of brilliant magenta juice.

   The seeds are hard as pebbles and numerous. Do not skip straining. Even tiny fragments will ruin the custard's silky texture.
4. 4

   Roll and blind bake the crust

   On a floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a twelve-inch circle about one-eighth inch thick. Transfer to a nine-inch pie plate, pressing gently into corners. Trim edges to a one-inch overhang, fold under, and crimp decoratively. Freeze for twenty minutes. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line the frozen crust with parchment, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake twenty minutes. Remove weights and parchment, reduce heat to 375°F, and bake another twelve to fifteen minutes until the crust is deep golden and fully cooked through. Cool completely.

5. 5

   Build the custard base

   Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the egg yolks and whisk until smooth and pale, about one minute. Gradually whisk in the milk and cream, then the prickly pear juice. The mixture will turn an extraordinary shade of magenta. Trust it.

6. 6

   Cook the custard

   Set the saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a full boil. This takes eight to ten minutes. The custard will thicken dramatically in the final minute, going from pourable to nearly solid. Keep whisking through the entire boil. Let it bubble for one full minute to fully cook the cornstarch, then remove from heat.

   Cornstarch requires a full minute of boiling to lose its raw taste and reach full thickening power. Do not shortcut this step or your filling will taste starchy.
7. 7

   Finish and pour the filling

   Whisk the butter into the hot custard until melted and incorporated. Add the lime juice and whisk again. The lime brightens the prickly pear's flavor without competing with it. Pour the hot custard into the cooled crust, spreading evenly. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming.

8. 8

   Chill until set

   Refrigerate the pie for at least four hours, or overnight. The custard needs this time to set completely. When chilled, the filling should be firm enough to slice cleanly but still have a slight jiggle, like barely set gelatin.

9. 9

   Prepare the whipped cream

   Just before serving, combine the cold cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a chilled bowl. Whip with a hand mixer or whisk until soft peaks form. The cream should billow and hold its shape but still look natural, not stiff. Spoon generous dollops onto each slice, or pile it artfully in the center of the whole pie for tableside drama.

Chef Tips

• •Prickly pear fruits ripen from August through October in Arizona. Look for them at farmers markets, specialty grocers, or Latin markets where they're sold as tunas. The fruit should yield slightly to pressure and show deep magenta color.
• •If fresh prickly pear proves impossible to find, bottled prickly pear syrup or juice concentrate from Southwest specialty shops works beautifully. Reduce the sugar by three tablespoons when using sweetened syrup.
• •Traditional Arizona ranch cooks often used lard in their pie crusts. For authentic flavor and exceptional flakiness, substitute half the butter with cold leaf lard. The crust will be impossibly tender.
• •The filling color deepens as it chills. What looks bright pink when warm becomes that stunning desert sunset magenta after four hours in the refrigerator.
• •Pair this pie with a glass of late-harvest Riesling or a cold Mexican beer. The sweetness complements without overwhelming the delicate prickly pear flavor.

Advance Preparation

• •Pie dough can be made up to three days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for two months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.
• •Prickly pear juice can be extracted and refrigerated up to five days ahead, or frozen for six months.
• •The fully assembled pie keeps refrigerated for three days. Add whipped cream just before serving.
• •The crust can be blind-baked one day ahead. Store at room temperature, loosely covered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 210g)