Pear Pie

Move over apple pie, my pear pie is a sweet and refreshing pie that has a cinnamon and nutmeg scented filling with a lemon zest zing!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword fruit pie recipes, pear recipes

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 50

Cooling 3 30

Total Time 4 45

Servings servings

Calories 416kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

1 (14.1-ounce) package double-crust pie pastry thawed
6-7 pears, peeled and sliced
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, cut into 1/4 X 1/4 inch cubes
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream
coarse sugar

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Arrange the oven rack on the middle of the oven cavity. Set a baking sheet on the oven rack. Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC).
Roll pie crust out to about 12 inches then roll up around the rolling pin and transfer to a standard metal 9-inch pie plate. Unroll and shape into the pie plate. Do not trim the crust at this time.
Prick the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork. Brush the entire inside of the crust with an egg white. Chill until crust is firm, at least 1 hour.
In a large mixing bowl, gently toss, with a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon, the pears (6-7) and lemon juice (1 tablespoon).
In another mixing bowl, whisk together sugar (1/3 cup white + 1/4 cup brown sugar), flour (3 tablespoons), cornstarch (2 tablespoons), nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon), ginger (1/2 teaspoon), cinnamon (1 teaspoon), lemon zest (1 teaspoon), and salt (1/4 teaspoon) until well combined. Sprinkle over pears and very gently fold until the pears are evenly coated. Pour filling into pie shell. Dot with butter (2 tablespoons). Put back in the fridge while you prepare the second crust.
Roll out the second crust, on a lightly floured counter, into a 12-inch circle. Cut into 12, 3/4 inch strips with a knife or pastry wheel.
Arrange strips in a tight lattice pattern. Trim excess off ends of dough off strips flush with the overhang of the bottom crust. Fold lattice ends and bottom crust under. Pinch the edges using your thumb and forefinger knuckle or crimps with a fork.
Brush the lattice top with heavy cream (1-2 tablespoons) and sprinkle with coarse sugar (1-2 tablespoons). Refrigerate the pie, before baking for about 30 minutes.
Place the pie plate on the rimmed baking sheet that has been heating in the oven. Bake the pie in preheated oven, until the crust is golden brown and the juices of the pie have slow bursting bubbles in the center of the filling, about 50-60 minutes. If the crust begins to brown too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.
Transfer the pie from the oven to a wire baking rack. Cool completely on the rack, for at least 3 hours, before cutting and serving. This allows the filling to set up so it won’t fall apart when slicing.

Notes

Rimmed Baking Sheet: Since this pie filling is filled in an unbaked pie crust, I place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven as it preheats. Leave it in the oven, with the pie on it, while the pie bakes. This helps the bottom of the crust to cook well on the bottom.
Pie Plate: I only use a standard metal pie plate for this recipe, not not deep-dish plate, a ceramic or glass plate. The pie needs to be refrigerated before baking. With a metal pie plate, I don’t have any worries about the preheated oven cracking or, even worse, exploding the pie plate! The amount of the filling is just right for a regular 9-inch.
Crust: The secret to a flakey crust is to chill it once it is placed and shaped in the pan. I use an aluminum pie plate so there is not a problem putting a cold pie plate into a hot oven. The chilling ensures that the crust does not shrink, and the result is a flakey crust and looks and tastes like it’s made from scratch! I also used double the amount of pie weights. I found that using only one set of pie weights was not enough to keep the pie crust from shrinking down the sides of the pie plate.
For The Top Crust: I used a fluted cutter to get a fancy edge on the pie crust lattice. You can simply cut a flat edge with a knife as well. When you weave the lattice, lay all the strips on the pie in one direction, spaced evenly apart. Then, fold up every other strip and lay down another strip, perpendicular, on one end of the pie. Fold down the strips. Then, fold up alternating strips. Lay in another strip perpendicular just below the first strip, creating a weave. Continue in this manner until the whole pie is covered with lattice.

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