Pear and Cranberry Pie
An all-time favorite. As a lover of pears I was delighted to find this recipe in Food Network magazine a few years back. Combining pears with cranberries and a dash of lemon gives this pie a down-home but complex taste. This pie is best served at room temperature and gets better even a couple of days after baking. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 refrigerated pie crusts, or double your favorite recipe
- 3 to 3 1/2-pounds pears, a mixture of Bartlett and Bosc
- 1/2 cup sugar, divided
- 6 ounces dried cranberries
- 3 tablespoons minute tapioca
- 2 tablespoons mixed berry jam
- 1 tablespoon cranberry juice
- Juice of 2 lemons + zest from 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
Minute Tapioca with Mixed Berry Jam
NOTE: For those who have never baked with Minute Tapioca — here is a pic of what you’ll find on the baking isle of your supermarket
Directions
Peel and core the pears. Slice into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss all of the pears with 1/4 cup of the sugar, the juice of 1 lemon and the zest of that lemon, place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain for about 1 hour.
Transfer the drained liquid to a small saucepan, place over medium heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool.
Toss the pears with the remaining sugar, cranberries, minute tapioca, mixed berry jam, cranberry juice, lemon juice (from second lemon), salt and nutmeg.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
Place pie crust into a 9 1/2 to 10-inch pie pan that is 2 inches deep. Gently press the dough into the sides of the pan, crimping and trimming the edges as necessary. Place the pears into the unbaked pie shell in concentric circles starting around the edges, working towards the center and forming a slight mound in the center of the pie. Be sure to sprinkle in some of the cranberry mixture as you add the layers so that the pie is even with all ingredients.
Pour over any liquid that remains in the bowl. Place the second pie crust over the pears. Press together the edges of the dough around the rim of the pie. Brush the top crust with the reduced juice everywhere except around the edge of the pie. Trim excess dough. Cut slits in the top of the pie for venting. Place the pie on on the bottom rack of the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Transfer to the middle rack of the oven and continue to bake another 20 minutes or until the pears are cooked through but not mushy. Remove to a rack and cool a minimum of 4 hours or until almost room temperature.