Comments on: Forgotten Pleasures — Nesselrode Pie

By: LadyChef

LadyChef — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:36:35 +0000

Great to see this old recipe revived! Madeleine Kamman mentions Nesselrode in her books (and she did fold chestnut puree into the bavaroise), but most of the boomer generation rejected anything that resembled fruitcake (shudder).

Browsing through my professional library; in his 1960 edition of The Baker’s Manual for Quantity Baking, Joseph Amendola gives this version of Nesselrode to use in his pie: “Soak together: 2 ounces each of cherries, pineapple and raisins; 3 ounces of chestnuts and 1 ounce of rum.” The mixture is folded into the filling at the end. No chocolate. He puts his filling in a regular pre-baked pie shell.

By: D Brophy

D Brophy — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:38:23 +0000

My mother used to make my favorite pie of all time….the nesselrode. This was through the 50′s and 60′s and I believe she used 2 layers of bavarian cream (rum flavored)covered with unsweetened chocolate shavings. She always said that it was not a true nesselrode pie but it was delicious. The added benefit may be that you don’t have to find the Nesselro.

By: martyg

martyg — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 20:46:07 +0000

just scanning the net and found the nesselrode comments and it brought back memories. i’ve eaten it many times. hortense spier made it and sold it to many places including peter lugers in brooklyn. she made wonderful desserts and for me it was a tough decision between the nesselrode and the blueberry crumb. this bit of nostalgia has disappeared, unfortunately. there was a bakery in brooklyn, on morgan avenue, that continued to make them for quite a while. the name escapes me. i guess it’s hostess twinkies now.

By: Mrs.57

Mrs.57 — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:16:06 +0000

Mon Dieu! not w/the oreo cream, the cookie crust comes prepackaged, like the graham cracker one. I’ve embarrassed sweet Kate enuf, so let me wish you all a wonderful Nesselrode-less happy Thanksgiving, I caved…doing a homemade ‘pumpkin pie & baked apples.

By: Karl

Karl — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:24:38 +0000

Oreo cookies? Sacre Bleu! The Count must be turning over in his grave.

By: Mrs.57

Mrs.57 — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:17:00 +0000

I sent Kate a lazy version of Nesselrode pie…it may lack culinary standards but in this age of non-existent rum soaked chestnuts, it serves us well. Karl consider an Oreo chocolate cookie crust.

By: Karl

Karl — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 23:11:49 +0000

Actually, a graham cracker crust is perfect for this dessert.

By: Mrs.57

Mrs.57 — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 14:28:04 +0000

With all respect, this recipe is outta whack. Arthur Schwartz aka The Food Maven has been into food for half a century and has the most authentic recipe online, cut &paste http://www.thefoodmaven.com/radiorecipes/nesselrode.html
Chestnut puree makes the mushy outcome pictured. You can substitute candied fruits, even just candied orange peel. I usually soak the fruits in rum for a couple of days, a third cup of raw rum is too overpowering in what should be a custard and cream filling. The crust should be a plain fluted and flaky butter crust, pre baked.

By: Karl

Karl — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 23:26:14 +0000

Sorry, it’s Sutters, not stutters.

By: Karl

Karl — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 23:25:18 +0000

There was a bakery called Sttuers French Pastries in Brooklyn, Greenwich Village and somewhere in Queens which produced an absolutely perfect Nesselrode pie. It’s neither flan-like or eggy and for years I’ve been looking for a bakery which would attempt to replicate my memories. Unfortunately, Sutters has been out of business for years and the last place I had a slice was Sweets, a fish restaurant down by the South Street Seaport. At one time this pie was so ubiquitous in NYC that you could get it at any Horn & Hardardt automat.

If anyone locates a source for the finished pie, please post it.