Caramel Dutch Pear Pie
Crust:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 oz. Leaf lard or vegetable shortening, frozen
- 8 tablespoons (4 oz.) unsalted butter, very cold
- 1/3 cup ice water
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Filling:
- 6 cups 1-inch chunks of peeled and cored pears (about 6-8 pears)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup caramel sauce (recipe follows)
Topping:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
- pinch of salt
- 1/3 cup sliced almonds
Caramel Sauce:
- 1 cup pure can sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cut in 1 tablespoon chunks
- ½ cup heavy cream, room temperature
- ¾ teaspoon salt
1. For the crust, in a cup, mix the water, salt, sugar and vinegar. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
2. In the bowl of your food processor, place the flour. Cut the leaf lard up into ½ inch cubes and add to the flour. Pulse about 8 times to mix. Cut the butter into ½ inch cubes and add to the processor. Pulse another 8 times. Add the water mixture slowly through the tube while pulsing again. Pulse until the dough is just coming together.
3. Remove dough from processor and divide into two discs. Wrap the discs tightly in plastic wrap. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator at least an hour or overnight.
4. When ready to bake the pie, prepare the caramel sauce. Heat sugar in a heavy bottomed medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Do not use nonstick cookware. Stir constantly with a high heat-resistant spatula or wooden spoon. Sugar will form clumps and eventually melt into a thick, amber colored liquid as you continue to stir. Watch closely as it will burn easily.
5. Once sugar is completely melted, immediately stir in butter until it is melted and fully combined.
6. After the butter is completely melted and combined, very slowly pour in the whipping cream while stirring constantly. After the cream is bubbling, let it boil for 1 minute.
7. Remove the sauce from the heat and add in the salt. The caramel will appear thin, but will thicken up as it cools. Pour it into a heat resistant container and set aside to cool completely.
8. To make the filling, in a large bowl, stir the pears, granulated and brown sugars, flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Set the filling aside as you preheat the oven and assemble the rest of the pie elements.
9. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
10. Roll out one disc of your chilled dough until you have about a 12-inch diameter circle and carefully place it in a 9-inch pie dish. Flute the edges and place the crust in the refrigerator as your oven preheats and you assemble the topping.
11. For the topping, in a medium bowl, with a pastry blender or a fork, mix the flour, both sugars, the pinch of salt and the butter until coarsely crumbled, Stir in the sliced almonds.
12. Once the oven is preheated, spoon the pear filling into the chilled pie dough leaving the excess liquid from the pears in the bowl. Pour ½ cup of your cooled, caramel sauce evenly over the top of the pears. Next, take your topping mix and cover the top of your pie completely with all of the topping. It will seem like a lot, but use it all.
13. Place your pie in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 degrees F. I usually place a pie shield over the edges of the pie crust. Bake for another 35 to 40 minutes. You may need to place a piece of foil over the pie about 10 minutes before it is done so as not to overbake the topping.
14. When pie is finished baking, take out of the oven and set aside to cool. Enjoy!
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