Creamy Pear Pie

A couple of years ago my buddy Mary sucked me into a local quilt guild.  I didn't know what I'd be getting into and was really worried that as a beginning quilter I would be completely intimidated by the super quilters there.  I was right - I am intimidated by the talent and artistry of so many of the women I've met at guild.  What I didn't expect was how they would encourage and inspire me to try new things and push myself.

It's so fun to see the beautiful quilts and other projects the women in quilt guild share.  Some are even talented quilt designers, like Jean here, who are happy to share how they created their amazing work.

 This year in guild we're doing a little extra something at each monthly meeting.  For November everybody brought a favorite pie recipe and some of us brought the actual pies.  That's where I got to sample this new recipe, so when our produce basket included some Bosc pears I was excited to give this one a try.

The pie has a yummy, buttery crumble topping.  It can be served with whipped cream, but we ate it "plain" and really enjoyed it slightly warm.

I wonder how it tastes if it's chilled.....guess I'll have to make it again to find out since there was not a crumb left of this pie.  Everybody liked it at my house, family and company alike.  

Here's the super easy recipe:

Creamy Pear Pie

1 unbaked 9" pie crust

4 cups sliced, peeled pears

1/3 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

1 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Topping:

1/4 cup flour

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  In a large bowl, coat the pears with the sugar and flour.  Combine the sour cream, vanilla, almond extract and lemon juice in a small mixing bowl.  Add the sour cream mixture to the pears and mix gently.  Pour into the pie shell.  In a small bowl, mix the topping ingredients together with a fork until coarse crumbs form.  Sprinkle over the pie.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees F and bake 45 minutes longer.  Cool pie on cooling rack for at least 30 minutes to allow the filling to thicken.  Serve warm with whipped cream.

  “Come join Love the Pie with TidyMom  sponsored by Cherokee USA, Le Creuset, Wilton,Bags by Bloom and  Harvard Common Press”

Celebrating National Pie Day with Pear Pie

Last week I got a bag of Bosc pears.  By this week they were beautifully ripened and juicy.  But there were more of them than my family would likely eat before they got over ripe.  So naturally they needed to go into a pie.

I found a recipe in the cookbook Pie by Ken Haedrich, and made it last night with  a few changes.  We invited my friend Laurie over to share the pie and an evening of conversation.  She brought Butter Pecan ice cream which was wonderful with this pie. I then celebrated National Pie Day this morning by having another piece of this pie for breakfast.  I definitely give this pie 5 stars, it is delightful!

Pear Pie with Streusel Topping

Pastry for single crust pie, in deep pie dish

Filling:

5 cups peeled and sliced ripe pears

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (I was out of lemons, so used the juice of one lime - turned out great)

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

pinch of salt

Streusel topping:

1 cup flour

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cold butter cut into chunks

1 tablespoon milk

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Put pears in large bowl and add other filling ingredients.  Stir lightly to coat pears with the sugar and spices.
• Pour pear filling into prepared pastry lined pie pan and smooth them down with your hands.  Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 35 minutes.
• In the meantime, prepare the streusel topping.  Cut the butter into the dry ingredients, then stir in the milk.  (You can also pulse in a food processor).  Rub the mixture between  your fingers to make large crumbs.  Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Remove the pie from the oven and reduce the temperature to 375 degrees.  Carefully dump the streusel crumbs onto the center of the pie, then spread evenly over the top of the pie with your hands.  Return the pie to the oven and bake for another 30 minutes.
• Let cook for at least 30 minutes before serving.