Perfect Pear Pandowdy Food

PEAR PANDOWDY

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse flour, hazelnuts, granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until just combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, slowly add 1/4 cup water and process until mixture just begins to hold together. If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse.
• Shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 disk until firm, about 1 hour. (Freeze remaining disk for another use.)
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a piece of parchment. Cut dough into 2-by-3-inch pieces. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine pears, granulated sugar, figs, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Transfer filling to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish.
• Arrange dough pieces in a patchwork design, overlapping slightly and leaving holes in between as steam vents. Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling in the center, about 55 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

PERFECT PEAR PANDOWDY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling: Peel and core pears, and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in a large bowl, and add dried cranberries, brown sugar, salt, pistachios, coconut, brandy, if using, and clove; toss until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a 2-quart pyrex or ceramic baking dish. Dot top with butter.
• Remove dough squares from refrigerator; place on top of filling so that they are slightly overlapping, leaving some filling uncovered. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and cream; brush over dough. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
• Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, and push crust partly down into fruit mixture. Serve warm.

PEACH PANDOWDY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Place the peaches in a medium bowl. Sprinkle lemon juice over them. Mix together 1/2 cup of sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle over the peaches, and stir to coat. Spoon into a 2 to 2 1/2 quart casserole dish.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, 2 tablespoons of sugar, baking powder and salt. Cut in butter with a fork or pastry cutter until it is in fine crumbs. Make a well in the center, and pour in the cream. Stir with a fork until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
• Roll out dough on a floured surface until it is just big enough to cover the baking dish. Cut a 2 inch cross in the center. Place over the peaches, and tuck in the dough around the sides. Turn back the corners of the cross to reveal the filling.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until filling is bubbly, and top is golden brown.

PEAR PANDOWDY CRUST

Steps:

• Sift together flours, salt, and baking powder into a medium bowl, and set aside. In the bowl of anelectric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,cream the butter, sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add the eggs and yolk, one at a time, beating until well incorporated after each addition. Add flour mixture, and beat on low speed until just combined. Turn out onto plastic wrap; pat into a square about1 inch thick. Wrap well in plastic; refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface; roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into 2-inch squares with a paring knife, transfer squares to a parchment-linedbaking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes.

GINGERED PEAR AND RASPBERRY PANDOWDY

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.
• To make the fruit filling, rub the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl, then add the pears and lemon juice and toss until evenly coated.
• Gently fold in the raspberries, then transfer the fruit to the prepared pan.
• Distribute the butter atop the fruit.
• To make the biscuit, whisk the flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Add the butter and toss until evenly coated. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the size of large peas. (Alternatively, you can put the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.
• Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of large peas, then transfer to a bowl).
• Stir in the candied ginger, then pour in the 2⁄3 cup buttermilk and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• The dough will be crumbly, with large pieces of butter still visible. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently press the dough together, then press it into a 9-inch circle.
• Carefully place the dough atop the fruit. Brush the dough with the 1 tablespoon buttermilk,then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the juices are bubbly and thick.
• Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

APPLE PANDOWDY

Steps:

• Crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with some pea-size pieces remaining. Drizzle 3 tablespoons water over mixture; pulse several times to combine. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse until mixture holds together when pinched. Shape dough into an 8-inch square and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut dough into about 20 squares (about 1 to 1 1/2 inches each). Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate while making filling.
• Filling: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel, quarter, and core apples, then cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges. In a large bowl, toss together apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, flour, and spices. Transfer to a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Drizzle with 4 tablespoons melted butter.
• Arrange dough squares in a patchwork design over apples, overlapping as needed to cover apples almost completely. Brush remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter over squares; sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until beginning to brown around edges, about 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and continue baking until flaky and golden brown all over and juices are bubbling in center, 40 to 45 minutes more. Using the back of a metal spatula, gently press down on dough so it is slightly submerged under apples. Let cool at least 30 minutes. Serve, with vanilla ice cream, if desired.