Welcome to my annual Pie Week. Let’s review so far:
- Pecan pie with dark chocolate and a sprinkle of sea salt
- Pie crust designs (it’s the November Baking Challenge!)
And drumroll please… today’s all about pears. And caramel, cinnamon, butter, pie crust, and cute utensils. Soooo unpredictable of me.
Let’s face it: we all forget about pears. Does anyone go pear picking? Can I come? And does anyone have a recipe for pear sauce? Send it to me! Pears sort of fade to the back while apples steal all the spotlight this time of year. (Not that I’m complaining. You know how much I adore apple pie.)
Well guess what, APPLES. Anything you can do, pears can do… better. Hard to believe, but this caramel pear pie shows apple pie who’s boss.
What’s So Great About Pear Pie!?
Pears have this incredible buttery/silky texture that contrasts beautifully with a crisp and flaky pie crust. After the pear pie bakes and cools down, the pears settle into a tender-crisp texture. They’re soft, yes, but not mush. Rather, they have a little bite—especially if you slice them on the thick side.
Plus anything’s delicious covered in cinnamon, sugar, and caramel.
The BEST Pears for Pie
I like to use Anjou (red or green), Bartletts (red or green), or Bosc pears in pie. To avoid a mushy filling, look for pears that are slightly firm. Your best bet is to purchase about 6-7 pears, then let them sit in a paper bag for 1-2 days to slightly ripen. Much longer than this and they’ll be too soft. You’ll only need about 5 pears for the pie, but I suggest picking up an extra in case any develop soft spots. (And a few more to make maple baked pears, too!)
Peel the pears, then cut them into (about) 1/2-inch chunks. You’ll mix the pears with sugar + cinnamon, and flour to thicken. A pinch of ground ginger adds that little something special, while a waterfall of caramel adds a BIG SOMETHING SPECIAL.
By the way, if you love these flavors, try my pear tarte tatin too. Or, if you pears and ginger together, try this ginger pear galette next.
Because if caramel’s divine with apples, it’s gotta be great with pears—right? Add about 1/2 cup of homemade caramel to the pear filling. Just pour it right on top so it sinks into every crevice. I use my salted caramel, though I reduce the salt slightly..
The caramel pear filling is nestled under a lattice pie crust topping. Top the pie with any pie crust design you’d like, but I prefer a lattice here. You can spy the gorgeous pears and caramel sauce bubbling up that way.
Here’s some pie crust design insPIEration. 😉 And here is my complete tutorial on how to crimp and flute pie crust. Everything you need for pie success!
Some people are stuffing people, some are turkey people, some might be into cranberry sauce, and others just show up for the Thanksgiving pies. I know where we all stand.
Caramel Pear Pie Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
Instructions
- Prepare my pie crust recipe through step 5.
- Stir the pears, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Set filling in the refrigerator as the oven preheats.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth.
- Spoon the filling into the crust, leaving any excess liquid in the bowl (you don’t want that in the filling—discard it). Drizzle 1/2 cup (145g) of salted caramel evenly on top. Place the pie in the refrigerator as you work on the top crust.
- Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle that is 12 inches diameter. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut ten 1-inch strips. (I cut four of the strips in half, as you can see above.. Press the edges of the strips into the bottom pie crust edges to seal. Use a small knife to trim off excess dough. Flute the edges or crimp with a fork. (Alternatively, you can simply cover the filling with the 12-inch pie dough circle. Cut slits in the top to form steam vents. Trim and crimp the edges. See my how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial for extra help with this step.)
- Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash mixture and sprinkle with coarse sugar, if desired.
- Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350°F (177°C) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.
- Allow the pie to cool for 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Before serving, drizzle extra caramel on top of pie or on each slice. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
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