Pear and Blackberry Pie in a Cheddar Crust
There is a pie contest coming up here in my small town. I harbor no illusions that I am a great pie afficionado. Pie crust has always been the bain of my baking experience. Too dry. Too tough. Too hard to work with. Yada yada yada.
However, I recently bought a great book called "Great Pies and Tarts" by Carole Walter. It has a plethora of great crust recipes and tips as well as ones for tarts and hand pies. I am a huge cooked-fruit lover and jumped at the chance to make a delicious pie.
I was also nervous about attempting to make crust again. But with Carole's gentle and knowledgeable help I decided it was worth the frustration. And a bit frustrating it was! But in the end I learned a few things and feel really comfortable about trying it again.
I chose pears and blackberries, but feel free to change the fruit's based on your taste. And don't skimp on the crust. The cheddar gives it such a unique taste and texture that would be great with just about any fruit you'd pair it with.
I plan on making it again and pair it with apples, walnuts and caramel in some sort. I'll let you know how that goes at some point.
Happy Pie Baking!
Cheddar Pastry
from Carole Walter of Great Pies and Tarts
Makes 1 double crust for a 9- or 10-inch pie
2 1/3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup partially frozen unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 in cubes
1/2 cup partially frozen vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces
2/3 to 3/4 cup lightly packed grated Cheddar cheese (2 oz)
4 tablespoons ice water, or more as needed
1. Place the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor. Process for 5 seconds to blend.
2. Add half the butter and shortening and all the cheese. Toss with a spatula to coat with flour. Pulse 4 or 5 times, then process for 5 seconds. Add the remaining fats, pulse again 4 or 5 times, then process about 5 seconds. The mixture should have the texture of coarse meal and still contain some larger pieces of fat.
3. Empty the mixture into a large bowl. Pass the crumbs through your fingers to break up any very large clumps. Add the ice water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, tossing the crumbs with a fork between each addition. Take a handful of crumbs and squeeze gently to see if they will stick together. If not, add additional ice water as needed.
4. Form into two 4- to 5- inch disks by pressing the mixture against the side of the bowl. All of the crumbs should adhere and clean the bowl. If not, add a few more drops of water. Dust the disks generously with flour and cover with pastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or longer before rolling.
On a lightly floured surface, roll 1 disk of pastry into a circle measuring approx 13 inches. Fit loosely into the pie plate. Trim the edges with scissors, leaving a 1/2 inch overhang. Beat the egg white and water with a fork. Brush the pastry with the egg wash and reserve the remainder for glazing the top of the pie.
Place crust back in the fridge if you haven't made the filling yet.
Autumn Pear and Grape Pie (I used blackberries instead of grapes)
from Carole Walter of Great Pies and Tarts
Serves 8 to 10
9-in ovenproof glass dish
1 recipe Cheddar Pastry (from above)
1 large egg white
1 tsp water
1 tsp sugar, for garnish
Filling
3 pound firm pears (about 7), peeled, cored, and cut lengthwise into sixths
1/2 pound black raspberries, washed and dried (or whatever small berry you choose)
4 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbls instant tapioca (I used flour)
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbls cornstarch
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of ground cloves (optional)
2 Tbls unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Position the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Butter a 9-inch ovenproof glass pie plate
Combine the pears and grapes (or blackberries) in a large bowl. Sprinkle the fruit with lemon juice and tapioca (remember, I used flour).Gently toss the fruit to distribute. Let stand 15 minutes.
Blend the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, giner, and cloves in a small bowl. Just before filling the shell, combine the dry ingredients with the fruits and gently toss to distribute them well.
Empty the fruit into the shell, mounding the fruit in the center and making sure that there are no empty spaces. Dot the top of the filling with butter.
Roll the second disk of dough into a 13- inch circle. Gently lift and place the dough on top of the filling. With your hands, push the dough bently toward the center to prevent it from stretching during baking. Trim excess with scissors, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Tuck the top edge of the dough under the bottom crust, pressing the 2 layers together to form a wall. Crimp or flute the edge. Make steam vents on top of the pastry. Brush the top with the remaining egg wash, and sprinkle with sugar.
To prevent the edges from brning, make aluminum foil bands. Cut two 3-inch-wide strips of 18 inch heavy-duty alminum foil. Fold 1 inch of each strip to the center, making a double thickness of boil. Mold the foil arond the edge of the pie keeping the double fold on top of the dough. Be careful not to crush the edge of the pastry. Secure the bands with tape.
Lay a sheet of foil in a sheet pan and place pie plate on top to catch any drips.
Bake the pie for 55-60 minutes. Remove the foil bands the last 5-20 minutes of baking. The pie is done when the top and bottom crusts are golden brown and the juices begin to bubble. Cool on a wire rack for at least 5 hours before serving.
Storage: Cover any leftover pie with a sheet of waxed paper and then loosely cover with aluminum foil for 1 day at room temperature or up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature or reheat before serving.
This pie can be frozen.