Pear Cranberry Slab Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Piecrust: Place flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some blueberry-size clumps. Add ice water and pulse until just incorporated, about 10 times more. Squeeze a small amount of dough to make sure it holds together. If dough is too dry, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn out dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Bring edges of wrap together to gather dough and form into a flat rectangle. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. Let dough stand at room temperature until pliable, then roll out to a 14-by-19-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet, tucking overhang under all around pan. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
• Crumble topping: Stir together pecans, flour, oats, and salt. Beat together butter and sugars in a bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until creamy. Add pecan mixture and beat just until combined. Work mixture with your fingers until it forms clumps. Refrigerate until ready to use or up to 1 week.
• Filling: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine pears, lemon juice, and vanilla-bean seeds. Stir in sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Spread mixture evenly in crust; top with cranberries.
• Crumble large clumps of topping evenly over filling. Bake pie until crumble is golden brown (check after about 20 minutes and tent with foil if browning too quickly) and filling is bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool on a wire rack at least 1 hour before cutting into squares.

Steps:

• For the crust
• Place the butter, shortening and cranberry juice into the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour salt and sugar by pulsing 3 to 4 times. Add the butter and pulse 5 to 6 times until the texture looks mealy. Add the shortening and pulse another 3 to 4 times until incorporated.
• Remove the lid of the food processor and sprinkle in 5 tablespoons of the cranberry juice. Replace the lid and pulse 5 times. Add more cranberry juice as needed, and pulse again until the mixture holds together when squeezed. Weight the dough and divide in half. Shape each half into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight.
• Peel and core the pears. Slice into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss all of the pears with 1/4 cup of the sugar, place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain for 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer the drained liquid to a small saucepan, place over medium heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool. Toss the pears with the remaining sugar, cranberries, tapioca flour, jam, cranberry juice, lemon juice, salt and nutmeg.
• For assembling and baking the pie:
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove 1 disk of dough from the refrigerator. Place the dough onto a lightly floured piece of waxed paper. Lightly sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and roll out into a 12-inch circle. Place into a 9 1/2 to 10-inch tart pan that is 2 inches deep. Gently press the dough into the sides of the pan, crimping and trimming the edges as necessary. Set a pie bird in the center of the bottom of the pan. Place the pears into the unbaked pie shell in concentric circles starting around the edges, working towards the center and forming a slight mound in the center of the pie. Sprinkle the cranberries a little at a time as you go.
• Pour over any liquid that remains in the bowl. Roll out the second pie dough as the first. Place this dough over the apples, pressing the pie bird through the top crust. Press together the edges of the dough around the rim of the pie. Brush the top crust with the reduced juice everywhere except around the edge of the pie. Trim excess dough. 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.

Steps:

• For the pear and fig filling: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
• Combine the pears, fig preserves, cornstarch, cinnamon and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
• For the apple cranberry filling: Place a large nonstick pot over medium heat. Add the apples, frozen cranberries, sugar and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring aggressively to burst the cranberries as they soften, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the cranberry juice and cornstarch together in a small bowl to form a slurry. Pour the slurry into the fruit and stir to combine, then cook until a thick sauce has formed, 1 minute more. Turn off the heat and set aside.
• For the blueberry filling: Combine the blueberries, honey, cornstarch and a pinch of salt in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
• For the pie: On a lightly floured surface, stack 3 rounds of pie dough, then roll out to a 20-by-15-inch rectangle. Place the rectangle on one of the parchment lined baking sheets. Use scissors to trim to a 1-inch overhang on all 4 sides and save any excess dough for later use. Place in the fridge to firm up for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, stack the remaining 3 rounds of dough, then roll out to an 18-by-13-inch rectangle. Use a pizza cutter or knife to slice the rectangle lengthwise into twelve 1-inch-wide strips. Place the strips on the remaining lined baking sheet and chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes, or until it is time to create the lattice.
• Remove the bottom crust from the refrigerator and prick in several places with the tines of a fork. Pour the blueberry filling in one corner and spread diagonally to fill a third of the pan (the fruit layers should not have a perfect edge or stopping point). Next, pour the apple cranberry filling in the middle and spread diagonally to fill another third of the pan. Finally, pour the pear and fig filling in the remaining third of the pan.
• Using a basket weave method, create a diagonal lattice on top of the pie with the remaining dough strips: Arrange 6 strips down diagonally across the pie, leaving about 2 inches between each dough strip. Fold back every other strip and place a strip down perpendicularly. Unfold the strips over them. Repeat this process with the remaining 5 strips, alternating the strips that are lifted to create a woven pattern. Press the end of each dough strip along the rim of the baking sheet and trim off any excess. Use your fingertips or the tines of a fork to crimp the crust of the pie along the rim of the pan. Brush the lattice (but not the edges) with the beaten egg.
• Bake until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely before slicing.

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the Flaky Pie Dough to a 12-inch round and fit it into a 9-inch deep dish glass pie plate. (you can use regular but might have trouble fitting the filling) Trim the overhang to 1 inch, fold it under and crimp decoratively. Brush the rim with the egg wash and refrigerate the pie shell until chilled.
• MAKE THE TOPPING: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, gingersnap crumbs, ginger and salt. Stir in the melted butter until large crumbs form.
• MAKE THE FILLING: Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large bowl, toss the pears with the cranberries, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. In a small bowl, toss the sugar with the cornstarch, then stir the sugar into the fruit.
• Pour the fruit into the chilled pie shell. Pour the gingersnap crumbs onto the pie, carefully spreading them to the edge to cover the filling completely. Set the pie on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake on the bottom rack of the oven for 1 1/2 hours, or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling; cover the pie loosely with foil if the top is browning too quickly. Let cool before slicing.

Steps:

• Line a 9-in. pie plate with pastry; trim and flute edges. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flour, syrup and butter until smooth. Add pears and cranberries; toss to coat. Spoon into crust., For topping, combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in walnuts. Sprinkle over filling. , Cover edges of crust loosely with foil to prevent overbrowning. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°. Remove foil; bake 35-40 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

Steps:

• On a lightly floured work surface, roll 1 disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate. Trim edges flush with rim. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
• On a piece of lightly floured parchment paper, roll out remaining disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Top with an inverted 9-inch pie plate or a cake ring, and gently press to make a light indentation (this will be your guide for cutting the lattice to fit the pie). Using a 3/4-inch square cutter, cut a lattice pattern out of the round, leaving at least 1/2 inch between cutouts and edge of round. Transfer squares to a parchment-lined baking sheet. To make partial squares where the lattice meets the rounded edge, make a very light indentation with the cutter, then cut out the portion of the square that is inside the round with a knife. Using a paring knife or a pizza cutter, cut out the round, leaving an additional 1/2 inch of dough beyond the marked circle. Reroll scraps, and cut out as many additional squares as possible. Transfer parchment with the lattice top to a baking sheet. Refrigerate lattice top and squares for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees, with racks in middle and lower positions. Peel, halve, and core pears. Very thinly slice 3 pears lengthwise, and cut remaining 2 pears into 8 wedges each.
• Toss together pears, cranberries, sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a large bowl. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape vanilla seeds over pear mixture, and toss until seeds have been evenly incorporated. Pour filling into piecrust, gently pressing to make it as level as possible. Dot filling with butter.
• To make egg wash, whisk together egg yolk and cream in a small bowl. Lightly brush edge of piecrust with egg wash. Remove lattice crust and squares from refrigerator. Gently place another baking sheet on top of lattice, and carefully invert. Slide lattice on top of filling, and remove parchment. Gently press edges of crust to seal, trimming edges of lattice if necessary.
• Lightly brush lattice with egg wash. Arrange dough squares around edge of pie, overlapping them slightly. Lightly brush top of each square with egg wash as you work to help them adhere.
• Place a foil-lined baking sheet on lower oven rack to catch any juices. Place pie on middle rack, and bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling gently, 90 to 100 minutes. Tent with foil if crust browns too quickly. Let pie cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat preserves in a saucepan over medium heat until warm. Puree in a food processor until smooth. Press through a fine sieve into a bowl or another saucepan, and reheat if necessary. Brush warm pie with a generous amount of warm apricot glaze. Let cool completely on rack.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, beat butter, cream cheese, sugar and salt until blended. Gradually beat in flour. Divide dough in 2 portions so that 1 portion is slightly larger than the other. Shape each into a rectangle; wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., Preheat oven to 350°. For filling, in a large bowl, combine sugar, flour and lemon zest. Add pears and candied fruit; toss to coat., On a lightly floured surface, roll out larger portion of dough into an 18x13-in. rectangle. Transfer to a greased 15x10x1-in. baking pan. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of pan; add filling., Roll out remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick rectangle; cut into 1/2-in.-wide strips. Arrange over filling in a lattice pattern. Trim and seal strips to edge of bottom pastry. Brush pastry with milk; sprinkle with coarse sugar., Bake 40-45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9 inch glass pie plate.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar till lightly colored.
• Whisk in the flour and half and half. Stir in the melted butter.
• Pour the mixture into the prepared pie plate.
• Arrange the pears in the batter (you can leave the pears in halves, but I cubed mine) and surround with cranberries.
• If desired, dust top with sugar and cinnamon (or whatever spices you like - I added in some allspice as well).
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or till the pears are tender and the custard is lightly browned.
• Cool slightly and serve.
• (The original recipe says this serves 6-8, but 3 of us polished it off at breakfast quite easily).

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate; trim dough flush with rim. Refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• On lightly floured parchment, roll out remaining disk of dough as in step 1. Top with an inverted 9-inch pie plate, and gently press to make a light indentation. Using a 1-inch square cutter, cut lattice pattern out of round, leaving at least 1/2 inch between cutouts and edge of indented round. Transfer squares to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. For partial squares where lattice meets edge, make a very light indentation with cutter, then cut out portion inside round with a paring knife.
• Using a paring knife, cut out the round, leaving an additional 1/2 inch dough beyond indented circle. Reroll scraps; cut out as many additional squares as possible, and transfer to baking sheet. Transfer parchment with cutout top to another baking sheet. Refrigerate both 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F, with rack in lower position. Peel and core pears. Very thinly slice 2 pears lengthwise; cut remaining 2 pears into 8 wedges each.
• In a bowl, toss together pears, cranberries, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Pour into pie shell; gently press to make level. Dot with butter. Whisk together egg yolk and cream; lightly brush over edge of pie shell. Gently place another baking sheet on top of chilled lattice (still on parchment); carefully invert. Slide lattice on top of filling, centering; remove parchment. Gently press edges of crust to seal; trim dough, if necessary.
• Lightly brush lattice with egg wash. Arrange dough squares around edge of pie, overlapping slightly. Lightly brush top of each square with egg wash as you work. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Bake pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 90 minutes. (Tent with foil if crust browns too quickly.) Let cool on a wire rack 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat preserves in a saucepan over medium until loose. Pass through a fine sieve into a bowl. Brush warm pie all over with glaze. Let pie cool completely on wire rack.

Steps:

• To make the pastry, tip the flour, almonds and sugar into a food processor then pulse in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Pulse in up to 5 tbsp cold water until mixture comes together as a dough. Wrap in cling film and chill for 1 hr.
• To make the filling, tip the cranberries into a pan with the sugar and cornflour and stir well. Stir in the orange curd, then cook for a few mins until thickened. Add the pears and cook a few mins more, stirring frequently. Cool.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 with a large baking sheet inside. Roll out the pastry and use to line 8 x 10cm individual Yorkshire pudding tins (or 10cm individual tart tins). Spoon in the cooled filling. Roll out the rest of the dough and stamp out 4 x 9cm rounds to make lids. Cut out the centres with a medium star cutter.
• Carefully cover half the pies with the pastry lids and place the stars on a baking tray. Crimp the edges of each pie (if using straight edged tins) with your finger and thumb, brush the pies and stars with the egg then dredge with sugar. Bake the stars for 8-10 mins and the pies for 15-20 mins until golden. Dredge with more sugar once out of the oven. Place a star on the open pies and serve with cream or ice cream.