pear – Bees Knees Recipes

Pear Custard Pie 2

I clipped this recipe a few years ago from Saveur, and it took me a little while to get around to making it (well, it was actually my sweet neighbor giving me a basket of her pears that got me around to making it!) and now I’ve made it twice in the last two weeks, and I am planning to add it to the Thanksgiving day line-up. Pears and custard are heaven. This lovely recipe combine the two for a sweet, subtle flavor that I love. And notice how simple! This recipe comes from the September 2013 Saveur.

Pear Custard Pie

Flour, for dusting, plus 3 T.

¹⁄₂ recipe Buttery Pie Dough (if you don’t have one you like, try the one below)

4 large ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

³⁄₄ c. sugar
1/4 c. flour

1 c. heavy cream
1 t. clear vanilla [my addition] or vanilla bean paste

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12″ round. Fit into a 9″ pie plate. Trim edges and crimp; chill for 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 400°. Combine the sugar and flour in a small bowl. Fan half the pears evenly over dough. Sprinkle half of the sugar and flour mixture over pears and drizzle with half the cream. Repeat with remaining pears, sugar, flour, and cream. [I’ve also mixed the sugar, flour, cream in a bowl and poured over the pears, which I believe makes it even creamier.] Bake until crust is golden and filling is set, about 1 hour. Let cool completely before serving.

I have some firmer pears that my kids just weren’t eating, so I decided to bake them up, and see if that helped their appeal. I found this recipe in a darling British baking book called Family Baking, and I’ve changed it a bit, but loved the results. Very beautiful muffins, not very sweet, and the dab of dulce de leche on top seemed to be the perfect thing. A nice little treat to welcome in the almost-here fall weather.

Dulce de Leche Pear Muffins

8 T. butter
2/3 c. milk
3 large eggs
6 T. dulce de leche (I used Trader Joe’s)
1/2 c. light brown sugar
1 1/2 c. spelt flour (you may also use wheat, oat, or white flour, if you prefer)
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. nutmeg
2 large, firm pears, cored, peeled, and finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a muffin tin with liners.

Microwave the butter for twenty-five seconds (or until melted) and let cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, and using a balloon whisk, whisk together the milk, eggs, 2 T. of the dulce de leche, the sugar, and the melted butter.

Sift the flours, baking powder, salt, and spices and whisk together. Scatter the chopped pear over the top and, using a wooden spoon, gently fold it in until just combined.

Divide the mixture between the muffin tins. Sprinkle each muffin with a little bit of sugar, and bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out of the center clean.

Let muffins cool slightly on a rack, then remove from the tin and place about a teaspoon of dulce de leche on the top of each muffin.