This Fresh Pear Pie is the perfect baked good to serve on your Holiday Dessert Table, to bring to a party or to simply enjoy with friends and family. The fragrant spiced pear filling surrounded by a homemade cinnamon shortcrust pastry is just heaven on a plate!
5Large PearsYou can also do half pears, half apples
2tbspBrown Sugar
1 1/2teasp.Cinnamon Powder
1/2teasp.Star Anise Powder
1/2teasp.Ground Ginger Powder
1/2teasp.Nutmeg Powder
1/2Lemon, Juiced (about 2 tbsp / 30 ml)
2tbspCornstarch
1tbspAlmond Mealoptional
Egg Wash (optional)
1Egg
1tbspMilk
Instructions
Cinnamon Shortcrust Pastry
Place the Plain Flour, Salt, Powdered Sugar and Cinnamon Powder in a large bowl.
Add the cubed Soft Butter, and use your fingers to mix it in the dry ingredients. The butter should be homogenuously combined with the Flour and look like crumbs or thick sand (see note 1 about making this pastry in the food processor).You can also use a Pastry Blender to cut to butter in.
Add the Beaten Egg and mix it in, trying not to overwork the pastry. If the pastry looks dry, add the Cold Water.
Transfer the pastry onto a lightly floured surface and bring it in together into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and gently press on it to flatten the ball. Place in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes, preferably an hour.The pastry should stick and come together quite easily at this point. If it looks still crumbly, knead in a little bit more water before transfering into the fridge.
Fresh Pear Filling
Peal and Core the Pears, then cut them into small cubes. Place them in a large bowl.
Add the Lemon Juice, then the Brown Sugar, Cornstarch and Almond Meal. Genty toss the pears to mix, then add the Spices (see note 2). Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula to evenly cover the fruits with all the spices. Set Aside.
Putting the Pie together
Preheat your oven on 180'C / 350'F.
When the Pastry is cold and hard, take it out of the fridge and place on a lightly floured surface. Cut it in two pieces, about 1/3 and 2/3 of the pastry.
Start with the largest piece: using a rolling pin, roll the pastry into a large round - larger than your pie pan. Roll it as thinly as possible without breaking it, then gently place into your 9inch / 22 cm pie pan. The pastry should go over the edges of the pan for now. Set aside.
With the smaller piece of pastry, make the "lid" of the pie. I rolled the pastry thinly then cut it into thin strips to create a lattice effect but you can make any design you want or simply cover to pie completely. Set them aside.
Prick the pastry at the bottom of the pie pan with a fork, then pour in the Spiced Pear Filling.
Place your pastry strips over the pie filling to make a lattice (or your choice of design). Finally, fold in the pastry that should still be going over the top of the pan to cover the edges of the lattice. Use a fork to gently press and seal the edges.
Optional: in a small bowl, whisk the egg and milk then brush it over the pastry for a golden finish.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Leave to cool down for 15 minutes at least before cutting.
Serve warm on its own, or with Vanilla Ice Cream / Whipped Cream.
Notes
To make Shortcrust Pastry in a Food Processor: - Place the dry ingredients in the bowl of your food processor (Flour, Salt, Powdered Sugar an Cinnamon) - Add the Cold Butter cut in small cubes and pulse to cut it in the dry ingredients. - Add the Egg and keep pulsing until the pastry starts to come together. If still very dry, add the water and keep mixing it. - Transfer onto a lightly floured surface and keep following the instructions above.
You can pick your favourite spices to make this pie - the ones here are the spices I used, but you can also replace them with an All-Spice Mix or your mix of favourite spices.