Pear and Raspberry Pie

I had my first real pie when I came to Australia. My excitement knew no bounds when I discovered a charming little bakery a short distance away from my new home. I went back every day. I had pie every day. For dinner, and for breakfast the next day. My kitchen ware were still in boxes so living on something that was convenient to bring back home, didn’t need too many dishes and filled up our empty stomachs while satisfying our taste buds, saved me a lot of trouble. I walked all the way to the bakery and back, convinced that it was the workout I needed to burn those pie-enriched calories. Till one day the bathroom scales told a different story!

I still love pie. What is there not to love about warm meaty and fruity fillings encased in pastry! However, when making pie at home, I tend to skip the bottom layer. The deep dish ones are my current favourite. It is a like a cross between a crumble and a pie. Plus you can play around with the pastry on top. I especially get my little boys to help me with the top and it makes for a wonderful afternoon activity with kids.

The pie is inspired by a slightly different recipe I had come across in Donna Hay magazine using white peaches and raspberries. The pie crust caught my eye and decided to make my own version using pears. This one is not a large one so if you plan a standard size, you may want to double the measurements.

Pear and Raspberry Pie
Serves 4

For the crust
3/4 cup plain flour
60 g unsalted butter, chilled, chopped
1/4 cup icing sugar
1 egg yolk (from an extra-large egg)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp. iced water
1 egg white
raw sugar for sprinkling

For the filling
3 ripe pears, skin removed and roughly chopped
1 cup frozen raspberries
1/3 cup castor sugar
1 tbsp. corn flour
1 tbsp. lemon juice

Place the flour, butter and icing sugar in a food processor and process in short bursts until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. With the motor running, add the egg yolk, vanilla and water and process until the dough just comes together. Turn the dough into a lightly floured surface and bring together to form a ball. Flatten into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

Pre heat oven to 200 degrees C. Place the pear, sugar, cornflour and lemon juice in a non stick pan over high heat till the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Remove from heat and stir through the raspberries. Spoon the mixture into a baking dish (I used a 20 cm by 13 cm oval Pyrex dish.)

Roll the pastry out between two sheets of non-stick baking paper to a 3mm thickness. Using a 5 cm round cookie cutter, cut out circles from the dough and place on top of the filling, overlapping until the entire top is covered.  Brush the pastry with the egg white and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the pastry is golden. If you like the top of the pie, really browned and crisp like this one, switch over your oven to the grill mode
and brown the pastry for 2-3 minute. Remove carefully from oven. Serve warm with ice cream on the side.