Pie Crust
Ingredients:
• 1 ¼ cups flour • ½ teaspoon salt • 1 tablespoon sugar • 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled • ½ stick cold unsalted butter, cut into ½ inch pieces • 5 to 6 tablespoons ice water
Streusel Topping
Ingredients:
• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup old-fashioned rolled oats • ½ cup packed light brown sugar • ¼ tsp. salt • 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted • ¾ cup dried cherries
Filling And Topping
Ingredients:
• 6 medium peeled and cored Anjou pears sliced into ½ inch slices
• 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice • ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour • ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg • 1 tsp. cinnamon • ⅓ cup sugar • ¼ cup raisins • 2 Tbsp. lemon zest • 1 quart vanilla bean ice cream
Recipe:
- Bake the store-bought flaky pie crust first. While it's cooling, make the filling. OR IF WE MAKE THE PIE FILLING
- To make piecrust: process the flour, salt, and sugar in food processor. Add the shortening and process for 12 seconds. Scatter the butter over the flour mixture and pulse chop 8-10 times until the butter is the size of small peas. Turn the mixture into a medium bowl. Sprinkle 5 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture. With your hands, use a folding motion to press the dough together. Add another tablespoon of ice water if the dough isn't coming together. Wrap in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and roll out on a lightly floured surface to about 13 inches in diameter. To gently transfer the pie dough to a 9 inch pie plate, place the rolling pin at the very top of the rolled dough. Wrap the top of the dough around the rolling pin, and continue rolling down toward you unti all the dough is wrapped around the rolling pin. Gently lift, and starting with the bottom of the pie plate, hanging 2 inches off the side, star unrolling the dough upward the rest of the way over the pie plate. Press gently into place. Trim the dough to 1 inch from the edge. Roll and crimp the edges. Bake for 30 minutes, cool for 20 minutes.
- To make streusel topping: In a bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, stir with a fork to combine. Add the butter and mix well until moist, set aside.
- To make the filling: Combine the pears and lemon juice in a large bowl and stir. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar, raisins and lemon zest. Pour over the pears and stir well to combine.
- Pour the pear mixture into the cooled pie crust, add the streusel to the top, using your fingers to evenly spread over the pears.
- Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling has thickened and has begun to bubble.
- Transfer to a rack and cool completely, or you can serve it warm with scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.
In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Harry & David has partnered with the Noreen Fraser Foundation, a non-profit organization that raises fund for women’s cancer research.
25% of proceeds from the Harry & David pink pear collection will go directly to the Noreen Fraser Foundation. For more information on the Noreen Fraser Foundation go to www.noreenfraserfoundation.org and to purchase the pink pear collection go to harryanddavid.com
.