Pear Pie with Almond Filling

Preparing the pears

The pear pie is easy and quick to make if you prepare the pears, mix the dough and make the almond filling at the same time. Large, firm pears work best, even slightly green ones. Ripe, soft pears will most likely turn into jam and are not suitable for a pear pie. By the way, here such pears are often called “winter pears”, and they are sold in shops in winter and spring.

1. Cover the pears with wine syrup. Carefully peel the pears, leaving the stem. You will need a pot big enough for the large pears to fit and be covered with liquid. Put the pears in the pot and add 2-3 cinnamon sticks, 1-2 stars of star anise, 2-3 allspice berries and 1-2 cloves. Grate the zest and squeeze the juice from half a lemon, add them to the pot and pour in a bottle of natural white wine. Top up with cold water to a level above the pears, add 1.5 cups of sugar (270 g) and put the pot on the heat.

   

2. Cook the pears in the spiced wine syrup. Bring to a boil and simmer for up to 1 h. Be sure to turn the pears so they soften evenly and so that only one side does not rest on the bottom. The pears are done when a thin knife goes in easily, without effort. With a slotted spoon, take the pears out of the syrup and move them to a plate. They must cool completely.

   

Dough

3. Cream the butter with the eggs and sugar. Take the butter out of the fridge in advance so it warms up and softens. In a large bowl or mixer bowl, combine the coarsely cut soft butter, two eggs, vanilla to taste, a pinch of fine salt, a few drops of lemon essence if you have it, and 3 tbsp of sugar (41 g). Beat with the mixer until smooth.

   

4. Make the dough. It is hard to guess the amount of flour in advance, so you can confidently add 1.5 cups and start mixing the dough. After that, add flour as needed, until the dough is soft and does not stick to your hands. Knead the dough thoroughly until smooth, without lumps. Roll the dough into a ball and put it in the fridge while the filling is being made.

   

Almond filling

5. Prepare the almonds. Cover them with boiling water for 10 mins, then cool them and slip the skin off each “nut” with your fingers. By the way, an almond is not a nut but the kernel of a stone, like in a plum. Roast the peeled almonds in a dry frying pan over medium heat until lightly golden, or in a microwave, the way peanuts are roasted. Grind the almonds in a blender as finely as possible to get a coarse almond flour.

   

6. Mix the filling. In a deep bowl or in a mixer, combine the almond flour, three eggs, vanilla, 5 tbsp of sugar (70 g), 1 tbsp of flour (10 g), the zest of half a lemon, half a shot glass (30 ml) of rum or orange liqueur and a pinch of fine salt. Beat with the mixer until smooth. If the filling is too thick, add a little milk or cream so the pear pie does not end up hard.

   

Assembling and baking time

7. Put the dough in the pan and pre-bake it. Preheat the oven to 190°C. You will need a round pan, preferably with a removable bottom. A pan with fluted sides, the kind used for baking a quiche, works great. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it with a rolling pin into a circle larger than the pan, so that you get a rim at least 3-4 cm high up the sides. Put the dough in the pan and shape the rim to the height you need with your fingers. Prick the dough with a fork. Put the pan with the dough in the oven for 10 mins, then take it out.

   

8. Pour the prepared almond filling onto the dough, up to about half the height of the rim. No more than that: the filling expands as it bakes, and the pear pie would end up looking like a loaf. Remember also that the pears are heavy and will raise the level of the filling even more.

   

9. Slice the pears and lay them on the filling. Pear pie is often made in a hurry, and the pears are simply cut into cubes and scattered over the filling. But for yourself, a favorite dish, it is worth taking this seriously. Cut each pear in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and cut out the stem. Only the flesh poached in the wine syrup should remain.

   

   Cut each pear half crosswise into slices 3-4 mm apart, keeping the shape of the pear. Carefully, using a spatula or a large knife, lay all the sliced pear halves on the filling over the dough, arranged radially with the narrow ends toward the center. The arrangement looks like a daisy. Gently nudge the slices with your fingers so they fan out at a slant from the center, like a fir tree.

   

10. Bake the pie at 190°C for no more than half an hour. Put the pan with the pie in a well-preheated oven. Once the filling “sets” and the dough starts to brown, the pear pie is ready. Often the top of the pie is also glazed with a gelatin mixture for shine. As for me, that is completely unnecessary.

    

Serving

11. Take the pan with the pie out of the oven and let it cool. Carefully remove the pie from the pan; a pan with a removable bottom is the most convenient for this. Move the pie to a board. With a very sharp knife, cut the pear pie into wedges, the way you cut cakes or pizza. Sprinkle the pie with almond flakes, with powdered sugar if you like, and decorate with sprigs of mint.

    

    Serve the pear pie cooled. It goes perfectly with tea, or can be a dessert on its own. The pie does not keep long, so it is better to make it for one sitting. Special thanks to my daughter Yulia for the idea for the recipe and her help.