Pawpaw Pie with Savory Duck Fat Crust
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When you are out scouting for archery season and putting out stands in late August or early September, keep an eye out for the American pawpaw. This little-known fruit, once a staple of Ozark and Appalachian cuisine, can be found in most Southern, Midwestern, and Eastern states — if you know where to look!
With a taste that resembles a banana crossed with mango, this native fruit is gaining popularity with outdoorsmen and foodies alike and can easily be substituted into your favorite recipes.
In my stand of woods that I hunt here in Missouri, the leaves of the pawpaw tree stick out. They are much larger than anything else in the woods and look out of place with their oversized tropical appearance.
I have also located colonies of pawpaw trees easily in mid-October, as the leaves turn yellow sooner than most species in my area, making them easy to spot and save in my GPS for next year.
The PawPaw has a natural custard-like texture. The sweet tropical aromatic flavor of the pawpaw pairs well with the crumbly, flaky tart crust.
Speaking of crust, if you aren’t rendering down your ducks, you may want to set aside a few this season and do so. Having a few jars of duck fat on hand to make confit — or to substitute for butter when baking — is going to elevate any dish and impress your guests. Adding duck fat to your tart crust creates a perfect, flaky, savory counterpart to the sweet pawpaw filling.
Serving Size: 10+/-
Time to make: 2 hours
Equipment: 9” Pie pan, Mixer, Bowl, Whisk, Spatula
Looking for more wild fruit recipes? Check out Justin Townsend’s Venison Toast with Sage-Blueberry Sauce!
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Pawpaw Pie with Savory Duck Fat Crust
10
servings1
hour30
minutes30
minutesKeep the screen of your device on
Ingredients
- For the filling
1 ½ cups of Pawpaw puree
1 brick(8 oz) cream cheese, softened/room temp
½ cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tsp unflavored gelatin
¼ cup lukewarm water
Honey
Mint
- For the crust
1 ½ cups flour
¼ cups of powdered sugar
1 egg
½ cups (115g) of wild duck/bear fat(butter works too)
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 -4 tsp cold water if needed
Preparation
- For the crust
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Process for a few seconds until combined. Add cold/chilled fat (up to 115g, but start with 90g), and pulse until crumbs are formed. Add egg and vanilla extract, and pulse until dough is formed.
- Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured board. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour, as needed. Roll until the dough is at least ⅛-inch thick (a little thicker is fine).
- Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan. Evenly press the pastry onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Gently pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork. Refrigerate for 2 hours or freeze for 60 minutes.
- Blind bake: Place parchment paper over the dough. Fill with dry beans, rice or pie weights. Bake for 15 min. Remove the weights and the parchment paper. Return to oven for another 10-15 minutes or until crust is slightly golden.
- Let crust cool/chilled completely before adding filling.
- For the filling
- Mix 1 cup of heavy whipping cream, 1 tsp vanilla and 2 tbsp of powdered sugar in chilled bowl until stiff peaks form, set aside in refrigerator.
- In a small, heat-safe bowl, place the water and sprinkle the gelatin evenly on top. Mix to combine well, allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes until the gelatin swells.
- Heat the mixture in the microwave at low power (about 50%) for about 30 seconds or until the mixture has just liquefied but isn’t hot. Stir. Set the gelatin aside briefly.
- Add 1 1/5 cups of pawpaw, 1(8 oz) brick of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of sugar to a bowl and mix until smooth, slowly add in gelatin mixture and continue until incorporated.
- Fold in half of whipped cream until incorporated.
- Add mixture to pie crust. Let chill for 6+ hours or overnight.
- Once pie has chilled, spread on remaining whipped cream, drizzle with honey and garnish with mint.
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