pear pie

mmm. a good way to use up an abundance of pears and make a delicious dessert at the same time.

ingredients:

two pie crusts (see recipe at bottom, or use your own)
several pears, ripe or even a bit overly ripe
2 Tbsp tapioca starch (or cornstarch. or flour. or a mix of both)
1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
pinch nutmeg
juice of half a lemon, plus zest if you feel like it
2 Tbsp butter

preheat the oven to 425
1. mix starch, sugar, and spices together in a small bowl.
2. roll out crust #1 and line pan with it.
3. start to pare, core and slice the pears. once you get a layer in the pie shell, sprinkle with the starch/sugar mix. continue until you fill the pan and they mound up some in the middle. sprinkle with lemon juice and any remaining starch/sugar mix. dot with butter.
4. roll out crust #2 and arrange on top however you like. for the crust in the photo, i cut holes with the back end of a piping tip. crimp down edges. if you want a really showy crust, brush with egg white or cream and sprinkle with sugar.
5. put the pie into the hot oven. after 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350. i had to cover the edges of this pie with tin foil to prevent them from burning, but my oven has "personality" so hopefully that isn't standard.
6. as with all fruit pies: really, let the pie cool mostly before you cut it or the juice runs out everywhere. the filling will set nicely if you leave it alone for a while. however: if you must, you must.

pie crust:
recipe makes two crusts. these are easiest to work with if refrigerated overnight. sometimes a pie emergency happens, even to me. in that case, the minimum is an hour...but don't expect it to be easy to do a fancy top crust after only an hour.

1 stick butter
1/2 c shortening
2 3/4 c all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
1 tsp salt
1/3 c cold water

its best if the fats are pretty cold, but don't kill yourself over it. i use room temperature shortening frequently when i forget that making pie means planning, and nothing bad has happened yet.
1. mix flour, sugar and salt in a big bowl. cut in both fats until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. i like to use a pastry blender, but you can also use two knives (hence the term "cutting in") pulled against each other, your fingers, or a food processor (according to legend. i have never done so because i love using my pastry blender and hate cleaning the food processor).
2. add the water and knead a bit until a dough forms. it should be loose enough to work without cracking but not so loose as to be very sticky. wash your hands before making this judgement call. adjust as neccessary with water or flour.
3. divide in two balls, press into 1" thick discs and wrap in plastic. refrigerate at least one hour, but preferrably overnight.