PEAR-CRANBERRY PIE WITH FAUX LATTICE

Pear-Cranberry Pie with Faux Lattice image

Rather than weaving strips of dough under and over one another, the latticelike design for this pie is formed by cutting squares from a round of rolled-out pâte brisée. The cutouts are arranged around the edge of the pie plate, in overlapping fashion, for a striking frame.

Yield Makes one 9-inch pie

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

All-purpose flour, for dusting
Pâte Brisée (page 322)
4 ripe, firm Bartlett, Bosc, or Anjou pears (about 1 3/4 pounds)
16 ounces (4 1/3 cups) fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk, for egg wash
1 tablespoon heavy cream, for egg wash
1/2 cup apricot preserves

Steps:

On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate; trim dough flush with rim. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
On lightly floured parchment, roll out remaining disk of dough as in step 1. Top with an inverted 9-inch pie plate, and gently press to make a light indentation. Using a 1-inch square cutter, cut lattice pattern out of round, leaving at least 1/2 inch between cutouts and edge of indented round. Transfer squares to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. For partial squares where lattice meets edge, make a very light indentation with cutter, then cut out portion inside round with a paring knife.
Using a paring knife, cut out the round, leaving an additional 1/2 inch dough beyond indented circle. Reroll scraps; cut out as many additional squares as possible, and transfer to baking sheet. Transfer parchment with cutout top to another baking sheet. Refrigerate both 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375°F, with rack in lower position. Peel and core pears. Very thinly slice 2 pears lengthwise; cut remaining 2 pears into 8 wedges each.
In a bowl, toss together pears, cranberries, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Pour into pie shell; gently press to make level. Dot with butter. Whisk together egg yolk and cream; lightly brush over edge of pie shell. Gently place another baking sheet on top of chilled lattice (still on parchment); carefully invert. Slide lattice on top of filling, centering; remove parchment. Gently press edges of crust to seal; trim dough, if necessary.
Lightly brush lattice with egg wash. Arrange dough squares around edge of pie, overlapping slightly. Lightly brush top of each square with egg wash as you work. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Bake pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 90 minutes. (Tent with foil if crust browns too quickly.) Let cool on a wire rack 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat preserves in a saucepan over medium until loose. Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Brush warm pie all over with glaze. Let pie cool completely on wire rack.