"PIE IS ON THE BLOG". a phrase you will be hearing a lot over the next few months. apple pie, pumpkin pie, sugar pie, oh so many pies are to be made this season! but today, lets focus on this spiced red pear pie. i have seriously never seen or eaten a pear pie before, which is why i was so intrigued to make one. what does everyone have against pears? i see them as a weirdly shaped apple, yet apples seem to get ALL the attention when it comes to pie making. pear pie results in a similar taste & texture to apple pie, but at the end you get a nice hint of pear flavour coming through. so give it a try this season! any type of pear will work, just pick the firmest ones you can find so your pie doesn't get mushy.
ingredients
for the dough
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed
- 1/3 cup vegetable shortening, cold
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 1 egg, for egg wash (optional)
for the filling
- 5-6 cups sliced red pears
- 1/2 raw sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
directions
- begin by making the dough. using a food processor pulse the flour, salt and sugar.
- add the cubed butter, shortening and vanilla. pulse until a crumb like mixture forms.
- add the cold water one tablespoon at a time until the crumbs begin to come together. turn out onto a pastry board and shape dough into a disk. if dough seems wet, add a bit more flour. if the dough seems dry, add a bit more water.
- wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for minimum 2 hours.
- for the filling mix pears, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and cornstarch in a bowl. toss until evenly coated and combined.
- once you are ready to assemble the pie, pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- roll out half the dough between 3/4cm and 1cm thick. transfer to pie dish and clean up & shape edges. poke dough with a fork a few times to allow steam to release.
- roll out remaining dough to the same thickness for the top.
- to create a lattice style top, cut dough into equal size strips using a pastry wheel or knife. arrange one set of strips evenly across in one direction, followed by a second set of strips in the opposite direction. weave strips through each other as you lay your second set down. trim & clean up edges.
- add one tablespoon of water to egg to create an egg mixture. brush all over pie top & bake pie for 35-40 minutes.
- let cool completely before serving.
like what you see? get it here. pie server | french rolling pin | mug | plates | linens | wooden spoon