Butterscotch Pear Pie

This pie recipe from September’s issue of Gourmet Magazine caught my eye immediately. I’d never heard of a pear pie before but it sounded like a great idea! Pears and apples are pretty similar so it seemed reasonable to swap pears in for the expected apples. And the idea of butterscotch pie just made it all that much better!

I’d only ever made one pie (from scratch) before this one, so I was hoping to improve on my previous performance. I have to admit that the crust on this pie really needed work: it turned out too dry and a bit stiff, and definitely needed more salt. I’m finding that I almost always think crust recipes need more salt . . . but I’m not sure if it’s just me or if it’s really true. We grew up eating more salt than my American friends, so I tend to second-guess myself a lot about how much salt to put in because I worry everyone else will think it’s too much!

Breaking down the pears was definitely harder than breaking down apples is: pears are much more slippery! I found that peeling them with a vegetable peeler worked well enough as long as I did it slowly and methodically. No rushing through on this one! The recipe called for cutting each pear into 6 pieces, so I first sliced each in half, then sliced the half into thirds. Then I cut off the core from each slice. It went much faster once I established a method of attack.

The filling for this pie is full of absolutely delicious things: brown sugar, butter, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Once I’d mixed all the ingredients together and mixed up the pears to let them macerate in the mixture:

It was all I could do not to dig right in! I seriously considered scrapping the whole pie idea and just eating delicious pears coated in good stuff. The smell alone will test your willpower, I promise you.

Because my dough wasn’t up to par, it was a bit of a pain to cover the pie. I had to frankenstein it together in places to make it fit and cover all the edges. I was afraid it wasn’t sealed well enough and would be ruined in the oven, but it turned out to be good enough to be presentable.

The whole family tried it a few days later at the end of Yom Kippur and everyone loved it, so I call this one a success! Iffy dough apparently is not a deal-breaker in our family . . . good to know!

Butterscotch Pear Pie
Adapted from September 2009 Gourmet magazine

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 1/2 pounds firm-ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears (about 5), peeled, each cut into 6 wedges, and cored
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Double recipe all-butter pastry dough
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon warm water
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• Equipment: small (1-to 3-inch) leaf-shape cookie cutters (optional)

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Preparation

Put a baking sheet on middle rack of oven and preheat oven to 425°F.

Whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, then whisk in brown sugar, breaking up any lumps. Gently toss pears with brown sugar mixture, lemon juice, and vanilla and let stand 5 to 15 minutes to macerate fruit.

Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining disk chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out remaining piece of dough into a 13-inch round. Reserve scraps.

Transfer filling to shell. Dot with butter, then cover with pastry round. Trim edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang (reserve scraps). Press edges together to seal, then fold under. Lightly brush top crust with some of egg wash, then cut 3 (1-inch-long) vents.

Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining disk chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out remaining piece of dough into a 13-inch round. Reserve scraps.

Transfer filling to shell. Dot with butter, then cover with pastry round. Trim edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang (reserve scraps). Press edges together to seal, then fold under. Lightly brush top crust with some of egg wash, then cut 3 (1-inch-long) vents.

Roll out dough scraps about 1/8 inch thick and cut out leaf shapes with cutters (or a knife). Arrange decoratively on top of pie, pressing gently to help them adhere. Lightly brush top crust and cutouts with some of egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Bake pie on hot baking sheet 20 minutes. Reduce oven to 375°F and bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes more. Cool to warm or room temperature, 2 to 3 hours.

• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp fresh-grated nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 1/2 pounds firm-ripe Bartlett or Anjou pears (about 5), peeled, each cut into 6 wedges, and cored
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• Double recipe all-butter pastry dough (although next time I will sub in Smitten Kitchen’s dough)
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into bits
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon warm water (for brushing on top)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (for sprinkling)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and place a baking sheet on middle rack.

Mix together first 5 ingredients, then toss pears with the mixture, adding lemon and vanilla. Allow to macerate for 5-15 minutes while you work with the dough.

Roll out 1 piece of dough into a 13-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out remaining piece of dough into a 13-inch round.

Fill bottom crust with pear filling. Dot with butter, then cover with top crust. Trim edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang and tucking edges under to seal. Lightly brush top crust with some egg wash and sprinkle with some sugar, then cut 3 inch-long vents.

Bake pie on hot baking sheet 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees and bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes more. Cool on rack to warm or room temperature.

Tagged as: Desserts, Gourmet recipes, pear pie, pie