A Post that IS About Pie

As of Saturday, Spring has sprung. It seems like the start of the season has geared me up for some serious baking. Winter was all about braises, chiles, and soup, but so far Spring is all about butter and flour.



It started innocently enough with pie for a friend's birthday. I'll call this the mystery caramel apple pie, mostly because I never actually had any and therefore it is a mystery to me as to how this pie turned out. I decided to fill that sweet void by baking some cookies, then a few microwave cupcakes, a pie for pi-day, and suddenly last weekend I was on my third pie (and third pound of butter) this month.



This latest pie actually brings us right back to where we started, a birthday pie! This pie was not a mystery caramel apple pie, but it was a blackberry Asian pear surprise pie. This pie was a surprise in that it was a surprise as to whether it would actually taste good. Prior to making this pie, I had actually never eaten an Asian pear.



It started as a Strawberry Rhubarb pie, with an olive oil crust and an oat crumble to make it more "healthy." Unfortunately I could find nary a stalk of rhubarb, and when I went to the store the were sold out of strawberries (seriously, who sells out of strawberries?!). So I grabbed what was on sale/in-season which happened to be Asian pears and blackberries. If the 14 diners who inhaled it on Saturday night are any indication, I think it it worked out.




Blackberry Asian Pear (Surprise) Pie
Crust
1 cup AP Flour
1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/2 cup COLD water

Filling
2 Asian Pears, Aprox 3 cups of fruit, 1/2 inch dice
12 oz of Blackberries
1/4 tsp ginger powder
2 tbs sugar
zest of one tangerine
juice of 1/2 lemon
4 heaping tbs of flour

Crumble Topping
1/4 cup flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
6 tbs butter

Prepare the Crust
1) Prepare a 9" pie pan by lightly greasing it with olive oil. Or if you are me and are missing your pie pan, line a 9" cake pan with parchment and hope for the best.
2) Combine the flours, salt, and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl.
3) Add the oil and mix it in with a fork.
4) Add the water, mix with the fork until it is absorbed, then knead lightly (I do this with just one hand, in the bowl) until the dough comes together into a ball.
5) Turn the dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Sprinkle a little flour on the ball of dough and on the rolling pin, and roll the dough out into a circle large enough to fit your tart pan. Turn the dough by 45 degrees (8 turns to a circle) every time you roll the pin forward and back, adding a little more flour underneath and on the dough if it seems on the verge of becoming sticky. Be quick and sure of yourself, try not to overwork the dough.
6) Transfer the dough carefully into the prepared pan and line it neatly. Trim the excess dough (delicious baked with a little cinnamon and sugar), and place the pan in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.

While the crust is resting...

Prepare the filling
7) Place all of the ingredients except the flour in a large bowl. Carefully mix the ingredients mix ingredients together with a folding motion and either a large spoon or spatula. Mix just enough to distribute the spices and citrus.
8) Sprinkle the flour over the mixed fruit and mix gently to combine. Try to keep the blackberries whole.

and...
Prepare the Topping
9) Use a fork to combine the crumble ingredients, if you are having difficulty incorporating the butter, melt until softened but not liquefied (aprox 15-30 seconds)

then...
Put it All Together
10) Blind bake the crust - take the crust out of the fridge, prick it repeatedly with a fork, and bake at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Just to dry the surface to the touch.
11) Gently fill the crust with the pie filling, and evenly top with crumble topping.
12) Bake at 400 degrees for an additional 15-18 minutes (until lightly golden brown), then lower the temp to 350 and bake until the crust is cooked and the topping is a deep golden brown, about 15 minutes depending on the oven and how long you cooked prior to the final bake.