Glazed Pear Pie {PIE #4}

Almond and Pear have a natural affinity, the way chocolate and coffee do. In this pie, the pears are poached, sliced and set into the almond cream which is cradled in a flaky pastry crust. The finished pie glistens and the pears are juicy, and just luscious. It is quite elegant, actually. Notably, the best part of this pie, after the taste, is that it is an easy pie to bake. I hope you’ll try it.

Poach the pears 1-3 days before you intend to bake the pie. They will keep covered tightly in their soaking in the poaching liquid in the refrigerator. Use parchment paper to cover the pears as they poach, because this will keep the pears moist and prevent them from oxidation which occurs when they are left exposed to the air.

When I baked the pie shell, I used some of the left over pie dough to make some leaf cut-outs. I brushed them with a little cream and sprinkled them with granulated sugar. I partially baked them (about 10 minutes at 375 degrees F) until they were mostly baked, and a bit firm. After removing them from the oven, I let them sit on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes, and then removed them to a wire rack to finish cooling. I added these leaves to the top of the pie, once the pears were in place and glazed.

Your finished pie can sit a room temperature for up to 1 day. Store it in the refrigerator up to 3 days. I suggest bringing it to room temperature before serving. This encourages the light flavors to open up

Ingredients

1 Bake 9” pie shell (See Perfect Buttery Pie Crust for recipe or use your favorite)

Poached Pears:

3 large ripe, but firm pears

2 -1/4 cups water

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3 Tablespoons wine, like Pinot Grigio, or apple juice

3/8 cup granulated sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

Almond Cream Filling

4 ounces blanched almonds

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 Tablespoons flour

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs (3 ounces), room temperature

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Glaze

3/4 cups reserved syrup from poached pears

1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions

The pie shell should be completely baked, and cooled before assembling the pie.

Poach the pears. First peel, halve and core the pears. Immediately, place them into a 10” nonreactive skillet, cut side down, in a single layer. Combine the water, lemon juice, wine, sugar and vanilla bean, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour this mixture over the pears. Cover with a 10” circle of parchment paper, and a fitted glass lid. Bring the pan to a simmer, and continue to simmer, gently, for 8 minutes. Pears should be slightly firm, and can be tested with a knife poked into the fattest part. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool with just the parchment covering. This should take about an hour. Pears can be used immediately, however, if you allow them to sit overnight in the liquid they will develop a richer flavor. Cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use, up to 3 days.

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine the almonds, sugar and flour. Process until the almonds are ground finely. Set aside.

In a stainless steel bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter until creamy. and 1/2 of the almond mixture and one egg. Beat well, until combined. Add the remaining almond mixture and 2nd egg, repeating the beating process. Beat in the vanilla extract. Scrape into a smaller bowl, and cover it tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread the Almond Cream into the cooled, baked pie shell, smoothing it flat and level in the shell.

Drain the pears on paper towel, cut side down. Reserve the poaching liquid and vanilla bean. Using a sharp knife, slice each pear, crosswise into thin slices. Take care not to cut entirely through the pear, and fan the slices decoratively, placing them atop the Almond Cream. It is helpful to use a pancake turner to transfer the cut pears to the Almond Cream.

Prepare the glaze next. Measure out 3/4 cup of the poaching liquid into a small saucepan. Scrape the vanilla bean (in the center, lengthwise) and add to the syrup. Bring syrup to a low simmer, and continue to simmer until volume is reduced to about 1/4 cup. In a small bowl, combine 1 Tablespoon (approximately) and cornstarch. Pour this mixture into the syrup, stirring constantly, and bring back to a simmer for 20 seconds. Syrup will be thick, and clear. Transfer this syrup to a small bowl, and using a pastry brush, coat the tops of the pears.

Here, I topped the pears with the partially-baked pastry leaves.

Bake the pie for 35-40 minutes. Almond Cream will be puffed and golden brown. Remove from oven, and brush pears again, and the Almond Cream with the remaining glaze. Allow to cool completely before serving, if you can. The fragrant aroma of this pie will truly make your mouth water.