Cranberry-Ginger Pear Pie

The pear and cranberry filling

The addition of struesel topping

Hot bubbling filling around the edges and rich brown topping. YUM!

This was also a new recipe for me this year at our Thanksgiving feast.  I am always looking for good fruit pie recipes. This was a great one!  I especially love that I could have everything staged the night before and the morning of Thanksgiving, simply assemble and bake.  

I filled the pie pan with the rolled out and then crimped dough.  Wrapped tightly with plastic wrap it went back into the fridge.  I prepared the pears, drained, and set those in the fridge and the cranberries I also prepared and put that mixture in a seperate bowl in the fridge.  The streusel can be mixed and left on the counter, covered.  Preheat your oven, remove the crust, pears and cranberries from the fridge.  Mix the pears and cranberries, fill the shell, sprinkle with the streusel and bake. 

Easy as Pie!!

As Always, 

ENJOY!

Recipe Courtesy of Cook's Illustrated November 2015

INGREDIENT

1recipe Foolproof Single-Crust Pie Dough (see related content)

3pounds Bartlett or Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick

½cup (3 ½ ounces) granulated sugar

¾cup (3 ¾ ounces) all-purpose flour

¼cup packed (1 ¾ ounces) light brown sugar

2tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped

¾teaspoon ground ginger

⅛teaspoon salt

5tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm

8ounces (2 cups) fresh or thawed frozen cranberries

1teaspoon grated fresh ginger

INSTRUCTIONS

The pears should be ripe but firm, which means the flesh at the base of the stem should give slightly when gently pressed.

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough into 12‑inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9‑inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is firm, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, toss pears with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in large bowl. Microwave, covered, until pears turn translucent and release their juices, 4 to 8 minutes, stirring once halfway through microwaving. Uncover and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.

3. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch beyond lip of pie plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate using your fingers. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic and refrigerate until dough is firm, about 15 minutes.

4. Combine flour, brown sugar, crystallized ginger, ground ginger, salt, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until mixture is completely moistened. Let cool completely, about 10 minutes.

5. Combine cranberries, fresh ginger, and remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in food processor and pulse until cranberries are roughly chopped, about 5 pulses. Drain cooled pears and discard liquid. Return pears to now-empty bowl and add cranberry mixture, stirring to combine. Transfer mixture to dough-lined plate. Sprinkle topping over pear mixture, breaking apart any large clumps. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake until juices are bubbling and topping is deep golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes, rotating pie plate halfway through baking. Let pie cool completely on wire rack, about 4 hours, before serving.