Pear Pie!

I've had some requests for my pear pie recipe and I totally forgot that I had already posted it! So here it is! Enjoy! Originally published January 11, 2019.

Hi there! If you follow me over on instagram, you might have seen this post where I talk about the Mister loving pear pie and wants to replace apple pie with pear pie. I also promised the recipe for pear pie and I'm here to tell you all about making pie, specifically pear pie.

But now the real reason you are probably here: Pear Pie! Let me tell you. It's sooo good. And I'm not just saying that because I made it. I'm saying that because those pears, coupled with the sugars and the cinnamon. It's just so, so, so good! I will warn you, this is not really my thing..writing recipes. I don't know how people do it without going into the minute details. I'll do my best and if you have questions, just ask! And I apologize upfront about the pics too. Food pics are not my wheelhouse either. If you'd like more detailed pics, see my post on the pie making class I took a couple of months ago. And I would be remiss if I didn't state that this recipe is adapted from that pie class held by the wonderful Underground Baker. Please show Chef Danielle some love! Without further ado...the recipe.

For the crust:
2 cups flour--I use unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 sticks butter--I use unsalted. If you use salted, omit the 1 tsp. salt listed above
1/4cup-1/2 cup cold water--see instructions below on how much to use. But make sure it's COLD

start by getting all your ingredients together. I never do this but find it much easier if I have everything close by. I am not one to pre-measure things but I could see how that would be very convenient. Okay. Now scoop out 2 cups of flour and put into mixing bowl. You are going to use your hands. A lot. No mixers here. Add the salt if you are using it. Then cut your butter into cubes. They don't have to be so uniform as what I have here. You're going to be mixing it after all. Once you have your butter cut, add it to the bowl with the flour. Then get your hands in there and crumble it all up until it is roughly pea sized and the flour starts to look yellow (from all that yummy butter!). Then you add cold (COLD) water. The amount varies. Start with 1/4 cup and go from there. I tend to make my dough slightly more wet than it needs to be because it's easier to fix that than dry dough once you start working with it. And it won't play nice if it's too dry. I normally use more than 1/4 cup, probably more towards 1/2 cup. You'll get the feel for it once you've made a crust a couple of times. Once you've added the water, start folding the dough on itself until it all starts to come together. Then I turn mine on a lightly floured surface to ensure that the dough isn't too wet. Skip this step if you're dough is just right! Cut the dough in half (one for the bottom crust and one for the top). Now you're going to let the dough rest. I do this by wrapping it in plastic wrap and putting it aside until I'm ready to roll it.
You can also use your favorite pie crust recipe rather than this one. Or feel free to play around with this one-use coconut oil, lard, or a combo. I simply LOVE this recipe with butter so I haven't been inclined to experiment.

For the filling:
Pears--I used 3 large pears but you could add more depending on the size of pie you are making
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup-1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
cinnamon

Start by zesting and juicing your lemon. Put into mixing bowl. Then peel, core, and slice your pears. Add to mixing bowl and give it a toss with the lemon zest and juice. Next add the sugar and flour. Then toss in some cinnamon. I don't measure this part because I really like cinnamon and think it really brings the flavors together nicely. But if you like a measurement, start with 1 tsp and go from there. You can add other spices as well. I was thinking that nutmeg and some fall-like spices, such as clove and maybe ginger, would be really nice to add to the filling. I did add some rye bourbon this time and let me tell you..it was delicious! So fell free to experiment here. The goal is to enhance the flavors of those pears. Give it all a toss, with your hands! Then set it aside to meld together. The longer you let it sit, the more you'll develop those flavors, but at the very least let it rest for 30 minutes while you roll out your dough.

Putting it all together:
Now, while your pears are melding together, grab your dough. Take one half of the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface. You want the dough to be slightly larger than the pie plate you are using. As you can see from the photo above, I am using 4 small pie plates so I rolled the dough until I had it big enough for all 4 plates. Then I cut it into 4 pieces. I then rolled the dough out some more and placed it in the plates. From here, once you have the dough in the plate(s), you can start working on the top crust. Experiment! This is the fun, creative part. I'm still working on honing my skills, but for these small pies, I love just cutting circles. I like the look and it's super easy. I trim the edges with a sharp knife so it's even with the plate and then stack the circles on top of each other using milk to bind them. Once you have everything cut out and ready to top that pie, put your filling in the pie plate(s). Then put the top on it. If you're ready to bake immediately, use an egg or milk wash on the top crust, sprinkle sugar on top, and bake in a 400 degree oven for 30-50 minutes (depending on the size pie you made) or until golden brown and bubbly. If your pie starts to brown too much, cover with foil. Cool completely before serving, if you can wait that long! Serve with ice cream and whipped cream. You won't be disappointed!

Let me know if you have any questions. And please share your pear pie with me! I want to see how you all did and what you thought about pear pie. Happy pie making friends!