Pie-Tastic Friendsgiving

Lemon Meringue Pie with the meringue "well done" heeheehee. The filling is nice and tangy though. I couldn't decide what kind of pie to make for Hollis and Sal's friendsgiving so I made two and figured we could bring home the leftovers. So in trying to steer away from traditional pumpkin, I made the lemon meringue and a pear cranberry pie from a recent episode on the Food Network.

The lemon is a good standby for me as I have gotten pretty good at that one. I haven't really ventured off into too many different other pies yet as I have been pre-occupied with all the cake baking, but maybe I do need to revisit pie making instead. I do think I had the oven on a bit too high as the edges of the pear pie did burn a bit...but oh well, I hope the middle part is tasty!

Lemon Meringue recipe here


Pear Cranberry Pie Recipe

For the crust:
3 cups sifted flour
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon table salt

For the filling:
3 to 3 1/2-pounds pears, a mixture of Bartlett, Bosc and/or Anjou
1/2 cup sugar
6 ounces dried cranberries
3 tablespoons tapioca flour
2 tablespoons cranberry jam
1 tablespoon cranberry juice
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

To make crust, put butter, shortening, salt and flour into a bowl. Using a pastry cutter, mix well until mixture resembles large crumbs. Add approximately 6 Tablespoons of ice water and form into two disks, wrap in plastic wrap and put into refridgerator.

For the filling. peel and core the pears. Slice into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss the pears with the sugar, cranberries, tapioca flour, jam, cranberry juice, salt and nutmeg.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Roll disk one and place into pie dish, gently press dough into the sides of the pan and trim edges as necessary. Spoon in filling and spread evenly over dough. Roll out disk two and place over the filling. Press the edges together and and trim the rim of the pie. Use your fingers or a fork to create a decorative edge. Using a knife, cut slits into the top of the tie to create steam vents.

Place the pie on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and bake on the floor of the oven for 30 minutes. Transfer to the lower rack of the oven and continue to bake another 20 minutes or until the pears are cooked through but not mushy. Remove to a rack and cool a minimum of 4 hours or until almost room temperature.

ENJOY!