Apple Buttery Pear Pie Food

APPLE PEAR BUTTER WITH PIE CRUST DIPPERS

Steps:

• For the apple pear butter: Place the apples and pears in the insert of a slow cooker. Pour the apple cider and maple syrup over the fruit, then drop the tea bag in and sprinkle with the salt. Gently stir to coat the fruit, being mindful not to break the tea bag. Cover and set to cook on high until the fruit is completely tender, about 8 hours. Discard the tea bag.
• Scoop the fruit into the bowl of a food processor with a slotted spoon and pulse until smooth, working in batches if necessary, about 1 minute. Pour the fruit puree into a large nonstick pot. Place the pot over low heat and bring to a simmer, then simmer until the volume is reduced by a third and the color darkens and intensifies, 35 to 40 minutes.
• For the pie crust dippers: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Place the round of pie dough on a cutting board. Add a splash of water to the beaten egg and brush the crust with the egg wash. Combine the sugar, apple pie spice and salt in a small bowl and sprinkle evenly over the pie dough. Use a pizza cutter or knife to slice the round into 20 strips. Place on the lined baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
• Serve the butter alongside the pie crust dippers or store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks. If preparing in advance, allow to cool completely before covering and storing.

SPICED APPLE AND PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Dough:
• Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Rub 1/4 cup of the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until completely absorbed. Then rub in the remaining butter until it resembles cornmeal mixed with pea-size bits of butter. (If it gets warm and sticky, refrigerate it to chill.)
• Beat the egg with 3 tablespoons of the water; then drizzle it evenly over the dough. Lightly stir the dough together with a fork. (The dough should just hold together when you squeeze it together, with some dry crumbly bits.) If the dough is really dry, sprinkle it with the final tablespoon of water. (To make the dough in food processor, see below.)
• Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap and shape into disks. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. (The dough can be frozen for 2 months. Defrost dough in the fridge overnight.)
• Filling:
• Finely grate the lemon zest and set aside. Peel, core and then slice both the apple and pear into 1/2-inch slices. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fruit, then toss fruit with the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and nutmeg.
• Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the fruit and cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves and juices simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, until the fruit softens and the juices evaporate some, about 10 minutes. Evenly mix the flour into the fruit; then cook about a minute more to thicken the juices slightly. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest; and remove from the heat. (The filling should resemble a tight compote.) Cool completely.
• Form the pie:
• Lightly dust the work surface with flour. Roll a disk of dough into an 11 to 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to 9-inch glass pie pan (see photo), trimming so it hangs about 1/2-inch over the edge of the pan. Fill the crust with the prepared fruit so it mounds slightly in the center. Roll the remaining dough into a 12-inch circle. Brush the rim of the crust with some of the egg.
• Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the fruit so it hangs over the edge of the pie pan by about 1/2-inch. Trim crust if needed, reserving the scraps for decorations or for patching, if needed. Fold the top crust edge under the bottom one, then press the edges together to seal. Cut trimmed scraps into designs if desired and set aside. Flute the crust by pressing a finger into the crust against the other hand's index finger and thumb to make an even impression. Repeat every 1/2 inch around the pie to create a ruffled edge (see photo). Refrigerate the pie for at least 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat to 425 degrees F.
• Brush pie with egg and place cut dough designs on top if desired. Brush again and sprinkle with sugar. Cut 6 to 8 small steam vents into the top of the dough. Place pie on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake until the crust (both top and bottom) is golden brown, about 50 minutes more. If the edges begin to brown too quickly, cut a pie shield out of a piece of aluminum foil and cover the edges (see photo). Cool on a rack.
• Serve pie warm or at room temperature with whipped or ice cream. Keep pie, covered, at room temperature for a day, or refrigerate for up to four.

APPLE-PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Peel the apples and pears; slice 1/2 inch thick. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples, pears, granulated sugar, brown sugar, ginger and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mostly tender, 20 to 25 minutes (reduce the heat if the skillet looks dry). Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, flour and cinnamon. Let cool to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, place a baking sheet in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450 degrees F. Cut 1 dough round into nine 1/4-inch-wide strips; cut the rest of that round into strips of varying thickness. Weave the 1/4-inch strips into 3 thin braids, 3 strips per braid (these will be for the edges). Make braids with some of the remaining strips; leave some as is. Refrigerate the braids and strips until firm, 30 minutes.
• Line a 9-inch pie plate with the other dough round; add the filling. Arrange the dough strips and braids (except for the 3 for the edges) parallel to one another on top of the filling. Trim any excess dough around the edges. Brush the edges with beaten egg and line with the 3 thin braids; trim the excess. Brush all of the dough with egg and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
• Bake the pie on the hot baking sheet, 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until the filling is bubbling and the crust is browned, about 1 more hour. (Cover the crust with foil if it darkens too quickly.) Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

APPLE AND PEAR STREUSEL PIE

Steps:

• Make the topping: In a medium bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add the butter and, using your fingertips, pinch the ingredients together into a sandy, crumbly mixture. Do not over mix; as soon as the mixture is sandy, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. If using a refrigerated crust, use it to line a glass pie dish. If using a frozen crust, let thaw at room temperature and gently remove the crust from the aluminum liner. Transfer to a glass pie dish.
• In a medium bowl, toss the apples, pears, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and butter together. Place the filling in the pie crust. Sprinkle the streusel topping on top and place the pie on a sheet pan to catch any juices. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Check the pie after 30 minutes; if the streusel topping is already brown, cover lightly with foil.
• Let cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

APPLE PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom pastry; trim to 1 in. beyond edge of plate. In a large bowl, combine the pears, apples, 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Transfer mixture to crust; dot with butter. , Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges. Add decorative cutouts if desired. Brush with milk; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Cover edges loosely with foil. , Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake 30-35 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

FRESH PEAR AND APPLE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• apples and pears.
• Place in large bowl and toss with lime juice.
• Combine brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg in small bowl.
• Toss with apple and pear slices until coated.
• Turn into a 9x1-1/2 inch deep dish pie plate.
• Dot with butter.
• Roll out pastry for top crust.
• Cut slits to vent steam during baking and place over filling.
• Seal and flute edges.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.

PEAR-APPLE BUTTER

Steps:

• Put pears and water in a heavy 3-quart saucepan. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat about 20 minutes until pears are tender, stirring occasionally. Drain.
• Process in 2 batches in food processor or blender until smooth. You will have about 4 cups puree.
• Pour back into same saucepan. Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce heat to low. Cover pot, leaving lid slightly ajar, and simmer about 1 hour until mixture is shiny and very thick, stirring often.
• Spoon into clean hot jars. Cover tightly, cool and refrigerate.

APPLE BUTTERY PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
• In a big bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cinnamon, cloves, and cayenne pepper.
• Whisk in apple butter and lemon juice until smooth.
• Stir in apples, pears, and butter.
• Spoon mixture onto prepared baking sheet in an even layer.
• Cover with foil, and bake for 25 minutes or until apples and pears are tender.
• Uncover and continue to bake for 10 minutes longer or until juices are slightly thickened, stirring twice.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 pie crust into a 12-inch circle.
• Fit crust into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate.
• Trim excess pastry 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate.
• Spoon apple mixture into prepared crust.
• Roll remaining pie crust into a 12-inch circle, and place over apple mixture; press crusts together around rim.
• Fold under dough hanging over edge, pinch dough between thumb and forefinger to achieve a wavy edge.
• In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and milk; brush top of crust with egg mixture.
• Sprinkle with sparkling sugar, if desired.
• Cut slits in top crust for steam to escape.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until pie is golden and juices are thickened and bubbly.