Pear Cardamom Pie With Almond Crust Recipes

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie, using 9-inch glass pie plate. Shape almond paste into a disk. On lightly floured surface, roll or pat into 8-inch circle. Place in bottom of pie crust.
• In large bowl, mix pears, 2 tablespoons sugar, the flour, apple pie spice and lemon juice; mix well. Spoon over almond paste in crust. Place top crust over pears. Seal edges and flute. Cut slits in crust to vent steam. Brush top crust with egg. Sprinkle with almonds and 1 teaspoon sugar.
• Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until pears are tender and crust is deep golden brown. Cool at least 1 hour before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine almonds, sugar, butter, flour, and egg for filling in a food processor; process until fine. Set aside.
• Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter for crust in a food processor and process until fine.
• Press graham cracker mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Pour almond filling into the pan and spread evenly. Place sliced pears in a ring around the top of the tart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until almond filling is set and not jiggly, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• Meanwhile, melt apricot jam in a small saucepan over medium heat. Brush over the top of the tart.

Steps:

• Crust: In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, and salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut in shortening and butter until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea- to almond-size pieces of butter and a few larger chunks remaining (work quickly so that butter and shortening remain cold).
• In a small bowl, beat egg with 1/3 cup water and vinegar. Pour egg mixture around edges of flour mixture while working it in with a fork, just until dough starts to clump together. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed. Do not overmix. Lightly dust your hands and work surface with flour. Turn dough out onto surface and press it together. Divide dough in half, shape each half into a flat disk, and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 3 days.
• Place one disk of dough on a lightly floured surface (reserve remaining disk for another use). If dough is too firm, let stand 5 to 10 minutes before rolling. Dust a rolling pin with flour and roll out dough into a 12-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Brush off any excess flour after rolling. Fold dough in half or gently roll it up around rolling pin and lift to place in a 9-inch pie dish. Press dough lightly into bottom and up sides of dish. Using kitchen shears or a paring knife, trim to a 1/2-inch overhang; fold under. Crimp edges as desired. Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork. Cover with plastic. Refrigerate or freeze at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in center and lower third. Line dough with parchment, pressing it into corners and edges; fill with dried beans or rice. Bake on lower rack 10 to 15 minutes. Remove beans or rice and parchment; bake on center rack until golden brown, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and immediately brush very lightly with egg white. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Filling: In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, nutmeg, cardamom, and salt. In a small saucepan, heat butter and vanilla seeds over low, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted. Add butter mixture to sugar mixture and stir until thoroughly combined. Add eggs, one at a time, whisking after each addition. Whisk in buttermilk until smooth and well blended.
• Pour filling into warm crust. Place pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet; bake on center rack, rotating halfway through, until filling is set around edges but wobbles slightly in center when gently shaken, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool at least 1 hour before serving.

Steps:

• Prepare the Shortcut Pie Crust through Step 3.
• When ready to make the pie, heat the oven to 350 degrees. Roast the hazelnuts on a baking sheet until evenly browned and skins are loosened, 25 to 30 minutes. While they are still warm, rub them together in a dish towel to remove the skins. Cool the skinned hazelnuts, and then blitz them to a fine meal with the flour in the food processor. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside.
• Crush the cardamom pods and retrieve the seeds, discarding the pods, then crush the seeds to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle.
• In a food processor, cream the butter, granulated sugar and crushed cardamom until pale and fluffy. With the machine running, add eggs one at a time, emulsifying each one fully before adding the next, and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer to the bowl with the hazelnut meal and stir to combine. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
• While the frangipane chills, shape and bake the crust: Working over an 11-inch fluted tart pan, prepare the Shortcut Pie Crust through Step 4, then chill, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. (This can be done ahead.)
• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chilled crust until just-cooked but not browned, about 15 minutes. (The crust will continue to cook while the tart bakes, so expect it to darken in color when it bakes the second time.) Cool completely.
• Scoop the hazelnut frangipane into the crust. (Don't try to spread it; it will distribute itself evenly as it cooks.) Nestle the pears into the frangipane, tucking some underneath the frangipane and leaving others on top.
• Bake on a baking sheet until the frangipane is fully set in the center and the crust is golden brown, 75 to 90 minutes. Cool on a wire rack completely, then remove from the pan and serve with crème fraîche.

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 10-in. circle. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. , In a large bowl, combine 3/4 cup sugar and flour; add pears and toss to coat. Spoon over the crust to within 2 in. of edges. Fold up edges of crust over filling, leaving center uncovered. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. , Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Sprinkle with almonds; bake 5 minutes longer. Using the parchment, slide tart onto a wire rack to cool.