Chef James Martin had two goals when devising a signature dessert for Bocadillo Market in Chicago, one of our 10 Best New Restaurants of 2022: to highlight an ingredient central to Spanish cooking and to avoid dishes that already get a lot of play in the US, such as flan or Basque cheesecake. He and the team landed on this lofty custardy pie that has a fudge-like texture thanks to almond flour in the filling. It is a true celebration of a nut that represents the history of Spain, having traveled with the Moors from North Africa through the Iberian peninsula to ultimately become a staple of Spanish sweets.
Adding alcohol to a pie crust dough ensures that you’ll get a tender, flaky result; hard liquor makes the dough more malleable without developing the gluten in the flour like extra water would. Martin uses Spanish gin at the restaurant—specifically Nordés gin, from Galicia, but vodka will work as well. Another pro tip is to seek out a deep-dish pie plate to achieve the custard layer’s impressive height and thickness.
While a slice of this pie is more than enough on its own, it sings when paired with seasonal fruit. Try a spiced pear or apple compote in the fall and winter, bright pickled strawberries in the spring, and macerated stone fruit in the summer. And be sure to let the pie completely cool before you cut into it so your slices will hold their shape—either room temperature or cold from the fridge is the move.
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Ingredients
8–10 servings
Crust
1
cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for pan
2½
cups (313 g) all-purpose flour, plus more
1
tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
1
tsp. sugar
4
tsp. gin or vodka or ice water
Custard and assembly
2½
cups (500 g) sugar
9
large egg yolks
2
large eggs
¼
tsp. almond extract (optional)
2½
cups (240 g) ground almond flour or meal
1
tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
Special equipment
A 9"-diameter deep pie dish
Preparation
Crust
Step 1
Grease pie dish with unsalted butter, then lightly dust with all-purpose flour, shaking out excess. Whisk 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 tsp. sugar, and 2½ cups (313 g) all-purpose flour in a large bowl to combine. Add 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, and toss to coat. Working quickly and aggressively, rub and smash butter into dry ingredients with your fingers to create shaggy pieces (you want some that are flat and thin and some that are pea-size).
Step 2
Combine 4 tsp. gin or vodka or ice water and 4 tsp. ice water in a small bowl; drizzle over flour mixture, stirring with a fork to evenly distribute. Knead dough in bowl until it starts to come together (it will still look a little dry). Turn dough out onto a surface and knead 1 or 2 more times to incorporate shaggy edges. Press into a 1"-thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill at least 1 hour.
Step 3
Roll out disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to ¼" thick. Carefully transfer to pie dish. Lift up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish. Gently press into edges of dish if needed. Trim overhang so dough is flush with edges of pan. Freeze crust at least 1 hour and up to 1 week.
Custard and assembly
Step 4
Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Heat 2½ cups (500 g) sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium, whisking occasionally, until sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Transfer syrup to a small bowl and let cool.
Step 5
Meanwhile, remove crust from freezer and prick bottom in several places with a fork. Line with parchment paper or foil, leaving overhang; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until set and edges are barely golden, 13–17 minutes. Remove crust from oven and, using overhang, lift out parchment paper and pie weights.
Step 6
Whisk 9 large egg yolks and 1 large egg in a large bowl to combine. Add cooled syrup and ¼ tsp. almond extract (if using) and whisk to combine. Add 2½ cups (240 g) ground almond flour or meal and 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and whisk again to combine. Transfer mixture to a blender and blend on high until very smooth and airy, about 1 minute. Pour filling into crust.
Step 7
Lightly beat remaining 1 large egg in a small bowl and brush crust with egg.
Step 8
Reduce oven temperature to 350° and bake pie 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300° and continue to bake pie until crust is deeply browned and top of filling is dark brown and set around the edges (a little jiggle in the center is okay), about 40 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack and let cool before slicing (if you cut pie while it is still warm, the slices will fall apart).
Do ahead: Pie can be baked 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.
