Pear Cranberry Pie

Posted November 27, 2013 by Prairie Wife - 1 comment

I first came across this recipe for Pear Cranberry Pie in the November 2008 Issue of Good Housekeeping. I am a pie lover (I learned the art of making the perfect pie crust from Ma) and so is The Cowboy, but I sometimes get tired of the same old apple or strawberry rhubarb recipes that The Cowboy prefers.

I thought the idea of pear and cranberry sounded absolutely delicious and would look beautiful out on the Thanksgiving table.

The Cowboy was more than a little doubtful about the flavor combination, but I ignored him and forged ahead. He ended up loving it and we now have it every year at Thanksgiving. Over the years I have made a few tweaks to the original recipe to truly make it my own, so below you’ll find MY unique way of making this pie.

Like all pies made completely from scratch, this one is more than a little labor-intensive. But the end result will make it all worth it!

If you are feeling crunched for a time make this a week or two ahead of time and freeze it unbaked, then you can simply put it in the oven and let it bake away while you make all your other goodies!

This is the best link I have found for storing and baking pies. My standard pie crust recipe is from the Betty Crocker Red Cookbook so I only use the Good Housekeeping recipe for the filling. In past years I have done a lattice top, a regular full pie crust, and taken cookie cutters, and done decorative tops.

Pear Cranberry Pie 

NOTE: Use the link above for your pie crust ingredient list and instructions

Filling
1 cup White Sugar
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Nutmeg
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
8 ripe (overripe is fine too) Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 cups cranberries
1 Tbsp Lemon juice

1. In a microwave-safe large bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, and salt.
2. Add pears and toss to coat.
3. Cover top of bowl with sheet of waxed paper, and microwave on High 10 minutes. NOTE: Stop and stir filing halfway through cooking.
4. Stir in cranberries and microwave 5 minutes longer.
5. Stir in lemon juice.
6. Cool filling completely in refrigerator, about 1 hour 45 minutes. As it cools the pie filling will thicken.
7. Set oven to 400 degrees.
8. Roll out the bottom part of the pie crust dough into 12″ round shape and place it in a pie tin.
9. Fill pie shell with cooled filling.
10. Roll out remaining pie crust dough into 12″ round and place over the top of filling and shell.
11. Pinch the edges shut, and trim off excess dough.
12. If desired rub raw egg on top of the pie to add extra golden color and sheen to the pie.
13. Cut vent slots on top of the pie.
14. Bake the pie for 60 to 70 minutes or until crust is browned. To prevent the edge from burning cover it with foil after 40 minutes.
15. Serve warm with Vanilla Ice Cream

Categories: Health and Wellness, Recipes

Tags: , fruit, good housekeeping magazine, holiday, pie, sweet treats