Best Walnut Pear Pie Recipes

APPLE-PEAR PIE WITH WALNUT CRUST

Steps:

• Crust: Pulse flour, walnuts, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor until walnuts are finely chopped. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. Drizzle pi cup ice water evenly over mixture. Pulse until mixture comes together when pressed in your hand (dough should not be wet or sticky). If dough is too dry, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse.
• Lay out 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Empty half the dough onto each piece. Bring edges of wrap together to gather dough. Press into disks. Roll out disks, still wrapped in plastic, to 1/2-inch-thick rounds (8 inches in diameter). Refrigerate at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days. Let stand at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes before rolling.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough into a 12-inch round (a generous 1/8-inch thickness) on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate, and trim edge, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Roll out remaining disk of dough to a generous 1/8-inch thickness. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and refrigerate, along with dough in pie plate, until firm, about 1 hour.
• Filling: Peel and core apples, and cut into eighths (you should have about 7 cups). Peel and core pears, and cut into eighths (you should have about 5 cups). Toss apple and pear slices with salt, granulated sugar, vanilla seeds, and lemon juice. Melt butter in a large saute pan over high heat. Add fruit mixture, and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high, and cook until fruit is softened, about 5 minutes more. Stir in flour, and cook 1 minute. Remove from heat; let filling cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in lower third of oven. Cut dough on baking sheet into 3-inch-wide strips. Pour filling into dough-lined pie plate, and brush edge of dough with some egg wash. Weave dough strips into a lattice over filling, and press overhang onto edge of crust. Trim edge, fold under, and crimp as desired. Brush top of pie with more egg wash, then sprinkle with sanding sugar. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake pie 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees, and bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling through lattice, about 1 hour. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

PEAR, FIG, AND WALNUT PIE

Steps:

• Bring wine, figs, and star anise to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer until figs are softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer figs to a large bowl. Cook liquid over medium-high heat until reduced to a syrup, about 3 minutes; discard star anise. Pour syrup over figs.
• Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 13-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch glass pie plate. Trim dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang; refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Roll out second disk to a 13-inch round. Cut out steam vent in center with a cookie cutter; refrigerate or freeze dough round and cutout until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Peel and core pears; slice into 1/4-inch-thick wedges. Add pears, walnuts, lemon juice, granulated sugar, salt, and cornstarch to figs and syrup; stir until well combined. Spoon into pie plate, piling high in center. Dot with butter; lightly brush edge of dough with water. Drape second disk of dough over pin; center over filling. Gently press around filling to fit; trim dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold edge of top crust under bottom one; crimp to seal. Brush water on bottom of cutout; press onto top crust. Beat egg yolk with cream; brush all over dough. Sprinkle pie generously with sanding sugar; freeze until firm, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F, with rack in lower third.
• Transfer pie plate to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, and bake until just golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F. Bake until juices are bubbling and crust is deep golden brown, about 1 hour. If edges brown too quickly, cover with a foil ring (see page 324). Let pie cool completely on a wire rack.

PEAR-FIG-WALNUT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in the lower third. Bring wine, figs, and star anise to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until figs are softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer figs to a large bowl. Cook mixture in pan over medium-high heat until reduced to a syrup, about 3 minutes; discard star anise. Pour syrup over figs.
• Meanwhile, roll out 1 disk dough on floured parchment to make a 13-inch circle; start with pressure in center and ease up just before reaching edges. Drape dough over rolling pin; center over a 9-inch glass pie plate, and unroll. Gently push into the plate. Trim to leave a 1/4-inch overhang; refrigerate. Roll out second disk. Cut out vent with a cookie cutter, and refrigerate cutout.
• Add pears, nuts, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and cornstarch to figs; stir until well combined. Spoon into pie plate (pile high in center). Dot with butter; lightly brush rim of dough with water. Drape second disk over pin; center over filling. Gently press around filling to fit; trim to leave a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold edge of top crust under bottom one; crimp to seal. Brush water on bottom of cutout; press onto top crust. Beat yolk with cream; brush over crust. Sprinkle with sugar; freeze until very firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake on a baking sheet until just golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 degrees. Bake, rotating halfway through, until bubbling, and bottom crust is deep golden brown, about 1 hour. (If edges brown too quickly, cover with a foil ring.) Let cool.

WALNUT PEAR PIE

Steps:

• Make the sweet walnut pie pastry as for short-crust pastry using the egg yolk and as much water as needed (see recipe below), working the ground walnuts and cinnamon in with the flour. Chill for 30 minutes or until firm.
• Roll out two-thirds of the dough and line the pan with it. Peel, core and quarter the pears and arrange them in a cartwheel pattern in the pan. Cover the center with slices of the remaining pears. Roll out the remaining dough to around the same diameter as the top of the pan. Using a cutter, cut a circle out of the center of the round leaving a ring.
• Brush the edge of the bottom pastry layer lightly with water. Lay the ring on the pears and press the edges firmly onto the bottom layer of dough. Brush the ring with water and sprinkle with the sugar. Chill for 10 to 15 minutes, so the pastry is firm. Meanwhile set the oven to 350 degrees.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until the pastry is well-browned and the pears are tender. Unmold the pie and serve warm. Just before serving, pour the whipped cream into the center.

PEAR-FIG-WALNUT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F, with a rack in the lower third. Bring the wine, figs, and star anise to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until the figs are softened, 10 to 12 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the figs to a large bowl. Cook the mixture in the pan over medium-high heat until reduced to a syrup, about 3 minutes; discard the star anise. Pour the syrup over the figs.
• Meanwhile, roll out 1 dough disk on floured parchment to make a 13-inch circle; start with pressure in the center and ease up just before reaching the edges. Drape the dough over the rolling pin; center over a 9-inch glass pie plate, and unroll. Gently push into the plate. Trim to leave a 1/4-inch overhang; refrigerate. Roll out the second disk. Cut out a vent with a cookie cutter, and refrigerate the cutout.
• Add the pears, nuts, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and cornstarch to the figs; stir until well combined. Spoon into the pie plate (pile high in the center). Dot with the butter; lightly brush the rim of the dough with water. Drape the second disk over the pin; center over the filling. Gently press around the filling to fit; trim to leave a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the edge of the top crust under the bottom one; crimp to seal. Brush water on the bottom of the cutout; press onto the top crust. Beat the yolk with the cream; brush over the crust. Sprinkle with sugar; freeze until very firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake on a baking sheet until just golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F. Bake, rotating halfway through, until bubbling, and the bottom crust is deep golden brown, about 1 hour. (If the edges brown too quickly, cover with a foil ring.) Let cool on a wire rack.

PEAR, PORT, WALNUT, AND BLUE CHEESE PIE

Steps:

• 1. Preheat an oven to 425 degrees. 2. To make the glaze: In a small saucepan, mix together the port and cornstarch. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking continuously, until the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat and cool. Set aside. 3. To make and fill the pie: Line a 9-inch pie pan with one of the pastry crusts, and set aside. Place the sliced pears in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and flour then sprinkle over the pears. Mix to coat the pears well. Place half of the pear filling into pastry-lined pie pan. Scatter evenly with the walnuts then layer in the remaining pears. Drizzle the filling evenly with the glaze, then scatter the crumbled blue cheese over the filling. 4. Top the pie with the second crust. Seal and flute the edges with your fingertips. Make several slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. For a pretty top, brush the crust lightly with milk and then sprinkle lightly with coarse sugar. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes more, or until the crust is golden and the filling is cooked through.

"PRICKLY PEAR AND PEACH" WALNUT PIE

Steps:

• Prepare this ahead of time. https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/pie/sugar-and-spice-pie-crust.html?p=1
• To prepare a prickly pear, either sand the outside of the pear or if you bought it in the grocery store, they already do this. I do not, so I run the risk of getting little thorns in my hand. You can wear a glove also, but I do not.
• Cut the top and bottom of the pear and make an incision along the side, about a quarter if an inch deep. Peel off skin.
• Dice fruit. You may remove seeds, but they are edible. It will greatly reduce your amount of fruit, but I prefer to do so. It is not necessary.
• In a mixing bowl, mix all the fruit ingredients in a bowl. Set aside for 20 minutes, allow the fruit to macerate and the flavors to marry.
• In a separate mixing bowl, add all the walnut ingredients, stir well.
• In a greased pie dish, place the bottom of your crust. Then dump in all the fruit filling. Spread evenly. Top with the walnut layer.
• Place the top of your crust on. Paint the exposed crust with egg white and sprinkle on additional turbinado sugar. I also did a Mickey Mouse motif and added orange sugar for the fall.
• Cover entire pie with tin foil. Place in a a 350F oven for 30 minutes. Then remove foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until a nice golden brown pit crust is accomplished.