Best Pear And Cranberry Country Pie Recipes

PEAR CRANBERRY PIE

Steps:

• For the crust
• Place the butter, shortening and cranberry juice into the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour salt and sugar by pulsing 3 to 4 times. Add the butter and pulse 5 to 6 times until the texture looks mealy. Add the shortening and pulse another 3 to 4 times until incorporated.
• Remove the lid of the food processor and sprinkle in 5 tablespoons of the cranberry juice. Replace the lid and pulse 5 times. Add more cranberry juice as needed, and pulse again until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Weight the dough and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Peel and core the pears. Slice into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss all of the pears with 1/4 cup of the sugar, place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain for 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer the drained liquid to a small saucepan, place over medium heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool. Toss the pears with the remaining sugar, cranberries, tapioca flour, jam, cranberry juice, lemon juice, salt and nutmeg.
• For assembling and baking the pie:
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove 1 disk of dough from the refrigerator. Place the dough onto a lightly floured piece of waxed paper. Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and roll out into a 12-inch circle. Place into a 9 1/2 to 10-inch tart pan that is 2 inches deep. Gently press the dough into the sides of the pan, crimping and trimming the edges as necessary. Set a pie bird in the center of the bottom of the pan. Place the pears into the unbaked pie shell in concentric circles starting around the edges, working towards the center and forming a slight mound in the center of the pie. Sprinkle the cranberries a little at a time as you go.
• Pour over any liquid that remains in the bowl. Roll out the second pie dough as the first. Place this dough over the apples, pressing the pie bird through the top crust. Press together the edges of the dough around the rim of the pie. Brush the top crust with the reduced juice everywhere except around the edge of the pie. Trim excess dough. Place the pie on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake on the floor of the oven for 30 minutes. Transfer to the lower rack of the oven and continue to bake another 20 minutes or until the pears are cooked through but not mushy. Remove to a rack and cool a minimum of 4 hours or until almost room temperature.

PEAR-CRANBERRY DEEP-DISH PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a very large bowl combine sugar, flour, nutmeg, and ginger. Add pear slices and cranberries; toss gently to coat. Transfer to an ungreased 2-quart round baking dish or casserole.
• On a lightly floured surface, flatten Pastry dough. Using a rolling pin, roll dough from center to edge into a circle that is about 1 inch wider than the top of the baking dish or casserole. Using cookie cutters, cut a few small shapes from center of the pastry. Set shapes aside. Transfer the dough circle to the top of the fruit mixture. Trim edge as needed to fit the baking dish or casserole; if desired, crimp edge. Brush top of pastry and dough cutouts with milk. Place dough cutouts on the pastry, leaving openings for air to vent.
• Place baking dish or casserole on a foil-lined baking sheet. If desired, sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake, uncovered, for 55 to 60 minutes or until pear mixture is bubbly. Cool pie about 30 minutes on a wire rack and serve warm. (Or cool completely before serving.) Pastry
• In a medium bowl stir together cake flour, whole wheat flour, and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in chilled butter until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon cold water over part of the flour mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat moistening flour mixture, using 1 tablespoon cold water at a time, until all of the flour mixture is moistened (3 to 4 tablespoons cold water total). Shape dough into a ball.

PEAR-CRANBERRY PIE WITH WALNUT CRUMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F.
• To prepare the pie shell, on a clean, lightly floured work surface, roll out half a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it forms a 10-inch circle. Wrap the remaining half of the dough tightly in plastic wrap and reserve it in the refrigerator for future use for up to 5 days. Fold the circle in half, place it in a 9-inch pie plate so that the edges of the circle drop over the rim, and unfold the dough to completely cover the pie plate. Using your thumb and index finger, crimp the edges of the pie shell. Brush the edges of the pie shell with heavy cream to create a perfect, golden brown finish. Set the pie shell to the side while you make the filling.
• To prepare the filling, place the cranberries and 1/2 cup sugar in a food processor and pulse 6 to 8 times, or until the cranberries are coarsely chopped. Transfer the cranberry mixture to a large bowl, and add the pears, lemon juice, and orange zest. Let the fruit sit for about 10 minutes so that the juices can seep through. In a separate small bowl, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, the cornstarch, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the sugar mixture to the fruit and combine thoroughly. Place the fruit mixture in the pie shell, distributing it evenly. Sprinkle the walnut crumb topping over the filling, covering it completely.
• To bake, place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375°F and continue baking for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the pears are tender and the juices are bubbling. Transfer the pie plate to a wire cooling rack and allow the pie to cool and set for 1 1/2 hours before serving.
• Pear-Cranberry Pie with walnut crumb is best served either at room temperature or warmed at 350°F for about 10 minutes. It will keep at room temperature overnight and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

PEAR-APPLE-CRANBERRY CRUMB PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• To prepare the pie shell, on a clean, lightly floured work surface, roll out half a ball of dough with a rolling pin until it forms a 10-inch circle. Wrap the remaining half of the dough tightly in plastic wrap, and reserve it in the refrigerator for future use for up to 5 days. Fold the circle in half, place it in a 9-inch pie plate so that the edges of the circle drop over the rim, and unfold the dough to completely cover the pie plate. Using your thumb and index finger, crimp the edges of the pie shell. Brush the edges of the pie shell with heavy cream to create a perfect, golden brown finish. Set the pie shell to the side while you make the filling.
• To prepare the filling, in a large bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the pears, apples, and chopped cranberries, tossing until they are thoroughly coated with the sugar mixture. Place the fruit mixture in the pie shell, distributing it evenly. Sprinkle the Cinnamon Sugar Crumb Topping over the apple-cranberry filling, covering it completely.
• To bake, place the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375°F and continue baking for approximately 45 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling. Transfer the pie plate to a wire cooling rack and allow the pie to cool and set for 1 1/2 hours before serving.
• Pear-Apple-Cranberry Crumb Pie is best served either at room temperture or warmed at 350°F for about 10 minutes. It will keep at room temperature overnight and can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• The fresh or frozen cranberries used in the pear-apple-cranberry-crumb pie provide a tart, tangy, crisp note to contrast the sweeter flavors of apple and pear. Dried cranberries (such as those used in the Apple-Cranberry Crumb Pie, page 23), on the other hand, are on the sweeter side because most manufacturers add sugar.

PEAR-CRANBERRY PIE WITH FAUX LATTICE

Steps:

• On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Trim edges flush with rim. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• On a piece of lightly floured parchment paper, roll out remaining disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Top with an inverted 9-inch pie plate or a cake ring, and gently press to make a light indentation (this will be your guide for cutting the lattice to fit the pie). Using a 3/4-inch square cutter, cut a lattice pattern out of the round, leaving at least 1/2 inch between cutouts and edge of round. Transfer squares to a parchment-lined baking sheet. To make partial squares where the lattice meets the rounded edge, make a very light indentation with the cutter, then cut out the portion of the square that is inside the round with a knife. Using a paring knife or a pizza cutter, cut out the round, leaving an additional 1/2 inch of dough beyond the marked circle. Reroll scraps, and cut out as many additional squares as possible. Transfer parchment with the lattice top to a baking sheet. Refrigerate lattice top and squares for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with racks in middle and lower positions. Peel, halve, and core pears. Very thinly slice 3 pears lengthwise, and cut remaining 2 pears into 8 wedges each.
• Toss together pears, cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape vanilla seeds over pear mixture, and toss until seeds have been evenly incorporated. Pour filling into piecrust, gently pressing to make it as level as possible. Dot filling with butter.
• To make egg wash, whisk together egg yolk and cream in a small bowl. Lightly brush edge of piecrust with egg wash. Remove lattice crust and squares from refrigerator. Gently place another baking sheet on top of lattice, and carefully invert. Slide lattice on top of filling, and remove parchment. Gently press edges of crust to seal, trimming edges of lattice if necessary.
• Lightly brush lattice with egg wash. Arrange dough squares around edge of pie, overlapping them slightly. Lightly brush top of each square with egg wash as you work to help them adhere.
• Place a foil-lined baking sheet on lower oven rack to catch any juices. Place pie on middle rack, and bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling gently, 90 to 100 minutes. Tent with foil if crust browns too quickly. Let pie cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat preserves in a saucepan over medium heat until warm. Puree in a food processor until smooth. Press through a fine sieve into a bowl or another saucepan, and reheat if necessary. Brush warm pie with a generous amount of warm apricot glaze. Let cool completely on rack.

POACHED-PEAR AND CRANBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Pate Brisee: Pulse together flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor to combine. Pulse in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. With machine running, add 1/4 cup ice water in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together. To test, squeeze a small amount together; if it is crumbly, add up to 1/4 cup more ice water, a little at a time. Do not process more than 30 seconds.
• Turn out dough onto a clean surface; divide in half. Place each half on a piece of plastic, flatten into disks, and wrap tightly. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before using. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.
• Filling: Combine wine, sugar, cinnamon, star anise, vanilla seeds, and cranberries in a wide saucepan. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Add pears; if not completely covered in liquid, add water as needed. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cover with a round of parchment, pressing it directly on surface of pears. Simmer until tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer pears and cranberries to a heatproof bowl, then increase heat to high and boil liquid until reduced to 2 cups. Pour liquid over pears; refrigerate until cool, about 30 minutes or up to overnight.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining disk of dough to a 13-inch round. Transfer to a parchment-lined unrimmed baking sheet. Using a 1-inch petal cutter, cut out a decorative pattern in center, reserving cutouts to decorate edges. Freeze until firm, 15 minutes.
• Remove pears and cranberries from liquid and blot dry with paper towels. Arrange pears in prepared pie dish, then add cranberries. Brush overhang with egg wash. Place top crust over filling; press edges to seal with bottom crust. Using kitchen shears, trim dough to a 1/2-inch overhang, reserving scraps. Tuck overhand under so edges are flush with rim. Brush edges with egg wash and decorate with petal cutouts, rerolling scraps to cut out more shapes as needed. Brush entire surface with egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar.
• Bake 20 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and continue baking until crust is evenly browned (if browning too quickly, tent edges with foil), 45 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.