I was searching for a recipe that uses pears since my dad bought too many for us to eat. I found this really interesting Pear Pie recipe on AllRecipes.com. I've never had pear pie before, but I love custard tarts, so I decided to give it a shot:
Peel, core and slice 3 pears. Bosch pears are the best for baking because they are sweet and soft, but keep their shape in the oven.
Arrange your pear slices into an unbaked pie shell. Some people arrange the slices in circles radiating from the centre, but I just put mine in no particular design :)
In a bowl, combine 3 eggs, 1/3 cup flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon almond extract and 1/4 cup melted butter.
Pour your custard evenly over the arrangement of pears in the pastry shell.
I like to crimp the pie edges and use the extra pastry to create a flower pattern on top. Lastly, sprinkle with some brown sugar for a sweet topping! Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the custard is firm and the edges are golden brown.
I brought this pie to my grandmother and she really liked it. If you like custard tarts and pears, this is the pie for you. The almond extract really adds some dimension to the pear flavour!
Next time I will top my pie with a few almonds before baking - Mmmmm!