PEAR SEASON || easy (and delicious) pear pie recipe

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We’ve got lots of pears about to ripen and what we don’t eat, give away or feed to the animals, we turn into pear-sauce (pears instead of apples) and fresh pear pie! If I am feeling extra ambitious I will dry them, too. The problem with dried pears in our house is that we eat them WAY TOO FAST and it’s a lot of work to have the dried pears eaten before fall :)))

Pies are my favorite summer time dessert! Bonus - if you double the pie crust recipe and stick the extra in the freezer, the next pie you make is sooooooo easy and fast! Here is my favorite fresh pear pie recipe (from Sally’s Baking Addiction)…..best garnished with vanilla ice cream…..and there is a surprise ingredient that takes it to another level! Spoiler alert - salted caramel sauce!

FRESH PEAR + SALTED CARAMEL PIE

Ingredients

  • Homemade Pie Crust 

  • 6 cups (1020g) 1/2-inch chunks of peeled pears (about 5 pears)

  • 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

  • 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour 

  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

  • 1 Tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice*

  • 1 cup salted caramel (full recipe)*

  • egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk

  • optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling on crust

Instructions

  1. The crust: Prepare Sally’s pie crust recipe through step 5.

  2. Make the filling: Stir the pears, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Set filling in the refrigerator as the oven preheats.

  3. Preheat oven to 400°F.

  4. Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9 inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth.

  5. Spoon the filling into the crust, leaving any excess liquid in the bowl (you don’t want that in the filling—discard it). Drizzle 1/2 cup of salted caramel evenly on top. Stick the pie in the refrigerator as you work on the top crust.

  6. Arrange the lattice: Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle that is 12 inches diameter. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut ten 1-inch strips. (I cut four of the strips in half, as you can see above.) Remove the pie from the refrigerator and carefully thread the pie dough strips over and under one another to create the look in the pictures pie, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. Press the edges of the strips into the bottom pie crust edges to seal. Use a small knife to trim off excess dough. Flute the edges or crimp with a fork. (Alternatively, you can simply cover the filling with the 12-inch pie dough circle. Cut slits in the top to form steam vents. Trim and crimp the edges.

  7. Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash mixture and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.

  8. Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350°F (177°C) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.

  9. Allow the pie to cool for 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Before serving, drizzle leftover caramel on top of pie or on each slice. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.