Asian Spiced Pear Pie Recipes

ASIAN PEAR PIE

Steps:

• In medium bowl, mix 2 cups of the flour and the salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with ginger ale, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl. Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half. Shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable.
• Heat oven to 500°F. In small bowl, mix remaining 1/3 cup flour, the brown sugar and five-spice powder. In large bowl, gently toss pears and lemon juice; sprinkle with brown sugar mixture and toss again.
• On lightly floured surface, roll one round of pastry into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths and place in pie plate. Unfold pastry and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Spoon filling into pastry-lined plate; dot with butter.
• Trim overhanging edge of bottom pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate. Roll other round of pastry. Fold into fourths and cut slits so steam can escape. Place pastry over filling and unfold; trim, seal and flute edge. Brush top with egg white. Sprinkle with granulated sugar. Place pie plate on a cookie sheet. Place in oven.
• Reduce oven temperature to 400°F. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours.

SPICED-PEAR PIE

Steps:

• For crust:
• Whisk first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Add lard and butter. Rub together with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse damp meal. Add 1/2 cup ice water and vinegar. Stir with fork until moist clumps form, adding more water by tablespoonfuls if dry. Gather dough into ball. Divide into 4 pieces; flatten into disks. Wrap each disk in plastic and chill at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.
• For filling:
• Using spice grinder, finely grind first 4 ingredients. Transfer spice mixture to medium bowl; mix in sugar, flour, and salt. Divide pears between 2 large bowls; mix half of spice mixture and 2 tablespoons cream into each.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Roll out 1 dough disk on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Roll out second dough disk to 12-inch round. Mound 1 bowl of pear filling in crust. Brush overhang lightly with milk. Drape second crust over; press top and bottom overhangs together. Fold under, forming edge of pie. Crimp edge decoratively. Cut 3-inch X in center of top crust; brush with milk and sprinkle with raw sugar. Place on rimmed baking sheet. Repeat rolling and assembly with remaining dough disks and pear filling.
• Bake pies 40 minutes. Tent with foil to prevent overbrowning. Bake until crusts are golden brown, pears are tender, and juices are bubbling thickly, about 40 minutes longer. Cool completely. Serve with ice cream.
• *Brown star-shaped seedpods; available in the spice section of some supermarkets and at Asian markets and specialty foods stores.

SPICED APPLE AND PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Dough:
• Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Rub 1/4 cup of the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until completely absorbed. Then rub in the remaining butter until it resembles cornmeal mixed with pea-size bits of butter. (If it gets warm and sticky, refrigerate it to chill.)
• Beat the egg with 3 tablespoons of the water; then drizzle it evenly over the dough. Lightly stir the dough together with a fork. (The dough should just hold together when you squeeze it together, with some dry crumbly bits.) If the dough is really dry, sprinkle it with the final tablespoon of water. (To make the dough in food processor, see below.)
• Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and shape into disks. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. (The dough can be frozen for 2 months. Defrost dough in the fridge overnight.)
• Filling:
• Finely grate the lemon zest and set aside. Peel, core and then slice both the apple and pear into 1/2-inch slices. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fruit, then toss fruit with the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and nutmeg.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fruit and cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves and juices simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, until the fruit softens and the juices evaporate some, about 10 minutes. Evenly mix the flour into the fruit; then cook about a minute more to thicken the juices slightly. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest; and remove from the heat. (The filling should resemble a tight compote.) Cool completely.
• Form the pie:
• Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Roll a disk of dough into an 11 to 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to 9-inch glass pie pan (see photo), trimming so it hangs about 1/2-inch over the edge of the pan. Fill the crust with the prepared fruit so it mounds slightly in the center. Roll the remaining dough into a 12-inch circle. Brush the rim of the crust with some of the egg.
• Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the fruit so it hangs over the edge of the pie pan by about 1/2-inch. Trim crust if needed, reserving the scraps for decorations or for patching, if needed. Fold the top crust edge under the bottom one, then press the edges together to seal. Cut trimmed scraps into designs if desired and set aside. Flute the crust by pressing a finger into the crust against the other hand's index finger and thumb to make an even impression. Repeat every 1/2 inch around the pie to create a ruffled edge (see photo). Refrigerate the pie for at least 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 425 degrees F.
• Brush pie with egg and place cut dough designs on top if desired. Brush again and sprinkle with sugar. Cut 6 to 8 small steam vents into the top of the dough. Place pie on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake until the crust (both top and bottom) is golden brown, about 50 minutes more. If the edges begin to brown too quickly, cut a pie shield out of a piece of aluminum foil and cover the edges (see photo). Cool on a rack.
• Serve pie warm or at room temperature with whipped or ice cream. Keep pie, covered, at room temperature for a day, or refrigerate for up to four.

FRESH PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place a baking sheet on the bottom oven rack.
• Combine sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and lemon zest in mixing bowl. Roll out half the pastry and line a 9-inch pie pan.
• Arrange pear slices in layers in the pastry-lined pan, sprinkling the sugar mixture over each layer. Dot with butter and sprinkle with lemon juice.
• Roll out remaining dough for the top crust. Use your finger dipped in a small bowl of water to moisten the rim of the bottom crust. Place top crust over filling, and trim edge using kitchen shears or a sharp paring knife. Fold edge under bottom crust, pressing to seal. Flute edge. Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape.
• Bake in the preheated oven on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes longer. Allow to cool several hours before serving.

FRENCH PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
• Sprinkle pears with lemon juice in a bowl. Mix white sugar and nutmeg in a separate small bowl; sprinkle over pears and mix thoroughly.
• Fit pie crust into the bottom of a 9-inch pie dish. Cut butter, brown sugar, and flour together in a bowl using a pastry cutter until mixture resembles crumbs. Spoon pear mixture into pie shell and sprinkle top with brown sugar mixture.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake until filling is bubbling and crumble topping is lightly browned, about 35 more minutes.

HOMEMADE PEAR PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix flour and salt; cut in shortening until crumbly. Gradually add water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Shape into a disk; wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., Preheat oven to 425°. In a large bowl, toss pears with lemon juice. In a small bowl, mix flour, 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon; add to pear mixture and toss to coat., On a lightly floured surface, roll half of dough into an 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim crust even with rim. Add filling; dot with butter., Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in top. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, 45-50 minutes. Cover edges loosely with foil during the last 20 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove foil. Cool on a wire rack.