This is the story of a good intention built on a misunderstanding that draws to a bittersweet conclusion. And in the end there’s pie.
Sara Ishida thought her uncle’s favorite dessert was the coconut cake from the Halekulani, so she found the recipe and made it for him a few times, including for his birthday last year. But after he died last month, Ishida learned that Uncle’s favorite was actually Halekulani’s macadamia nut cream pie. Wrong flavor, wrong dessert genre, yet “he graciously thanked me and quietly ate the coconut cake all these years.”
Still, in his honor, Ishida wanted to make the correct dessert — which is served on the buffet at Orchids and at banquets — and wrote for the recipe. The Halekulani was happy to oblige.
Both of us tried the recipe and found this to be an exceptional pie, with a light, delicate filling and just enough toasty mac-nut flavor.
Ishida also gave the crust bonus points. “Crusts make me nervous, but this was the easiest one I’ve made and it tasted really good.”
The recipe is somewhat involved, so I’m going to stop talking now, except to note that Orchids’ chefs provided measurements by weight, and I’ve included approximations in cups and tablespoons. But weighing your ingredients will yield the most precise results.
Halekulani Macadamia Nut Cream Pie
Crust:
>> 8 ounces (about 1-3/4 cups) flour
>> 1/4 teaspoon salt
>> 1/4 teaspoon sugar
>> 4.8 ounces (about 9-1/2 tablespoons) cold butter, cut in cubes
>> 1.6 ounces (about 3 tablespoons) cold water
Filling:
>> 16 ounces (2 cups) whole milk, divided
>> 1 ounce egg yolk (1 yolk from large egg)
>> 1-1/2 ounces (about 1/3 cup) cornstarch
>> 1/4 vanilla bean
>> 4 ounces (1/2 cup) sugar
>> 3/4 ounce (1-1/2 tablespoons) butter
>> 1/2 cup macadamia nuts pieces, toasted, plus more for garnish
>> Whipped cream, for topping
To make pie crust: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, salt and sugar in a mixer with paddle attachment. Cut butter cubes into flour mixture until it breaks up into pea-size pieces. Mix in just enough water so dough comes together. Do not overmix. Chill overnight.
Roll dough out to about 1/4-inch thick and fit into 10-inch pie pan. Trim excess dough and flute edges. Fill with pie weights if desired. Bake 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool. To make filling: Combine 4 ounces (1/2 cup) milk with egg yolk and cornstarch, stirring to make a slurry.
Pour remaining 12 ounces (1-1/2 cups) milk into small pot. Cut open vanilla bean and scrape seeds into milk. Add sugar; bring mixture to boil. Add slurry, whisking to avoid lumps. Stir in butter. Return to a boil, whisking continuously, and cook for about 1 more minute. Stir in nuts. Chill mixture.
Beat chilled filling to soften it, then pour into pie shell. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with more toasted macadamia nuts.
Nutritional information unavailable.
Who’s got a clue?
Anyone who can come up with one of these recipes will receive a cookbook from our stash of review copies:
>> Leburta Chock Kanno is trying to help track down a special lavash recipe. “It had a ‘chew’ to it — a little thicker than most lavash.” She thinks she might have gotten the recipe from a home economics class at McKinley High School back in the 1980s.
>> Lee Errett remembers a carrot cake recipe published in one of the local newspapers in the mid-1980s called Saraswati’s Carrot Cake. Errett says it was “delectable” and would dearly love to bake it again but can’t remember much else about the recipe. We’re not even sure whether Saraswati was a person, place or thing.
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