Three years ago I had never even heard of Nesselrode Pie until my rabbi asked me to make it for her partner's birthday. Then Florence Fabricant mentioned that I make Nesselrode Pie in her article about Pie Country last October in The New York Times. People have been calling me from all over the country. Can I ship? Nope. We actually did try that once. It was a soupy disaster! Never again.
But while I was making this pie over the last few years, I never knew for sure if it tasted as it should. And as I tasted it, I just could not understand what created such demand. It is with a very fine blend of chestnuts, cream, dark rum and a little vanilla. Plus just a hint of cocoa and orange - wow! That's a lovely pie.