Pie #4: All Pear Pie with Maple and Candied Ginger

When some people here “All Pear Pie”, some people think “Wow that sounds awesome!”, while other might think “Pears in a pie, hum, that’s interesting.”; but I think “Pears in a pie, why not!”  Pie four was yet again an interesting venture, and I love that with each pie there is something new to learn.

I should call the title of the pie “All Pear Pie with Brown Sugar and Ginger” because instead of using maple I used light brown sugar and instead of using candied ginger I used a ginger spice.  All the measurements worked out well this time and the pie pan was the right size for it. I think unless it asks for a larger one, I am going to stick to my 9 1/2 in. pie pan.  This pie did seem a little rushed for me and I could not figure out why, but after making it I figured out why. I usually get my ingredients ready before I even start preparing the pie, but this time I didn’t. I just did a ‘prepare as you go’ kind of thing. To be honest I was not a fan of that, so lesson learned there. This pie was not as relaxing to make because of that, but I still loved it.

So the first question I had, not being an avid pear fan, was what kind of pears to use. Apparently you want to use green ripe ones. I do not remember ever cutting a pear so it was interesting to see that they have a really small core.  So let me ask you this, do you know how many pears equal 7 cups of sliced pears? I did not have a clue how many I would need, so, I got about 7 pears ready for the food processor. After slicing 6 1/2 pears and having an almost full food processor bowl I stopped slicing and measured it out to be about 8 cups (A side note, if you want thicker slices when using the food processor, you need to push what you’re chopping through fast because it will make a thicker cut). So, factoring in the air space that should equal the 7 cups I needed. The pears started to turn brown after slicing so I started to freak out. Joshua saved the day by suggesting putting some lemon juice on them. I did not want to because I did not read that in the recipe yet (Another side note, right now I follow the recipes to the T, no skipping over steps and I go in order.) That idea drove me a little crazy but I did it, and of course, the pears stopped turning brown. Yeah, thanks Joshua.

While putting all of the ingredients in, I learned that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to zest a lemon that has been already cut. Joshua assisted me on the lemon zest, and we had to improvise because we did not have a zester. He had to use a small grader and that took him forever just to get a little lemon zest. Also, right after making the filling I looked at my fingernail and noticed my red nail polished was chipped. Eek! I did check the filling thoroughly and I did not find it. I hope it just washed it off into the sink…

The crust turned out great, and this will be the fifth time I’ve had to make the “Basic Flakey Crust”. I have actually got the hang of it, so this time I decided to try the top crust that Ken Haedrick calls “Lattice Top Pie”.  I thought the directions that Ken gave were great, along with illustrations to help you visualize what you’re looking for. I will say that I was very nervous to do this because the crust looked overwhelming. As I said earlier, I did not read ahead this time so I ran yet again into another hick-up. I made sure the crust was rolled in a circle and ready like I have with all the other pies. Well guess what, the first thing it said was not to roll it into a circle, but a rectangle instead. Great… so, I franticly rolled it out into a “rectangle”, well close to one at least.  Then there were at least four lines in the book about how to get the right measurements, and I totally did not get it.  Thankfully at the end of the instructions it had language that I could get, “make sure there are at least eight strips”, got it! Were the strips even? Not even close, but I figured next time I could use the edge of a measuring board for a straighter edge.  Now, after all that, I finally finished the crust and the pie was ready to go in the oven.

After cooking the pie 30 minutes, I turned the oven down and turned the pie 180° so the pie would brown evenly, and cooked it for an additional 35 minutes. After that, I took it out and let is set for two hours, the whole 2 hours.

This is a picture of my friend Jane who joined Joshua and me for the first taste of the “All Pear Pie”.

Next pie for me will be the “Louisiana Browned- Butter Pecan Pie”. Yummo!

Hello Results: Although I am not a fan of pears, it was a great pie. It looked great, and I am glad that I tried the “Lattice Top Pie” crust because it sure did look and taste great. I must prepare ingredients before I start making the pie so I don't feel so rushed.  Lemon keep the pears from turning brown and I need to order a lemon zester. That makes four pies, so only 296 to go!

Hello Extra: I am not counting this as a "pie", but the same day I made the “All Pear Pie” I also made this chicken pot pie from scratch, crust and all. It was SO yummy!