Mini Skillet Buttermilk Pear Pies Food

MINI SKILLET BUTTERMILK-PEAR PIES

Steps:

• Combine 2 1/2 cups sugar, water, cinnamon syrup, and cinnamon sticks in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add pears, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Strain pears and save poaching liquid for future recipes if desired. Let pears cool.
• Cut pears lengthwise into mini slices, leaving the stem end intact.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease 4 mini oven-proof skillets.
• Roll out pie pastry and cut out circles 1/2- to 3/4-inch larger than the mini skillets. Fit dough into the skillets, leaving room for overhang. Lay foil or parchment paper on top of the dough and place pie weights or beans on top.
• Bake pie crusts in the preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes to reduce any shrinking of the crust. Remove foil and weights and let crust cool while preparing the filling; leave oven turned on.
• Whisk together 2 cups sugar, flour, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
• Whisk eggs in a large bowl to break them up. Mix in buttermilk, lemon juice, and lemon zest until well combined. Add the sugar-flour mixture and mix well. Stir in melted butter and vanilla paste until just combined.
• Divide walnuts among the prebaked crusts, followed by the reserved sliced pears. Pour about 1 cup of the buttermilk mixture into each skillet. Place skillets on a large baking sheet.
• Bake for 35 minutes. Reduce heat to 340 degrees F (170 degrees C) and bake until center is set but still slightly jiggly, about 15 minutes more. Place pies on a wire rack and let cool completely.

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.

BUTTERMILK CHESS PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.)
• In a large bowl, combine sugar and flour. Beat in the eggs and buttermilk until blended. Stir in the melted butter and vanilla. Pour filling into the pie crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven until filling is set, about 45 minutes.