Caramel Pear Pie

Now I think B is going to be very jealous if she finds out I made this without inviting her over for some!! I think it would be safe to say B LOVES anything caramel. I thought I would browse through some of my Donna Hay Mags by the seasons and seeing we are coming into the cooler months I picked out all the April through July magazines and made a promise to myself that I would make at least one dessert and one savoury recipe from each (more if I get around to it) I drool over these books and never get round to actually trying many of them.

When we find a winner in this house we tend to stick to the same thing for some time......not that I mind as if you find something the whole family will eat why change it! I also have a problem, moving on from dessert pages!! They call out my name as I flick through!!! (that's my excuse anyway)

This pie is so easy. It really is, trust me! (Yes there is pastry involved again, but by now you should be an expert at it if you have made any of the previous recipes listed in our blog!). It also looks impressive, so you can impress your friends by whipping this one up and you won't have to look far for the fruit as pears are everywhere at the moment, and if you are a fan of caramel I recommend this one,  it's a WINNER! Just imagine.....creme caramel, this is exactly what this pie is like, silky smooth texture with the texture of the pear also!!

If you have the same disease as me and have every Donna Hay magazine known to man you will find this one in Issue 38 April/May 2008 page 124.

You will need the following:
3 pears, peeled, halved and cored
2 tablespoons water
1 quantity basic vanilla pastry ( I will put the recipe for this at the bottom)
1 eggwhite, lightly beaten, for brushing
1/2 cup (90g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) golden syrup
40g unsalted butter, melted
3 eggs
1/4 cup (60ml) pouring cream


Basic Vanilla Pastry
1 2/3 cup (250g) plain flour
1 tablespoon caster sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
180g cold unsalted butter, chopped
1/3 cup (80ml) iced water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

I will start with the pastry:
Place flour, sugar and baking powder in a food processor and process to combine. Add butter and process until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. With the motor running, gradually add the water and vanilla and process until the mixture comes together to form a smooth dough. (at this point I didn't actually use all the water as my dough came together before I poured all the water in) Remember less mixing, handling of the dough the better!! Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.

Preheat your oven to 160 degrees (320F). Place the pear and water in a large, deep frying pan over medium heat. Cover and cook for 5-8 minutes or until just tender ( My pears were slightly ripe anyway so it didn't take long and I just covered my fry pan with some foil)

Set aside to cool. Roll out the pastry to 3mm thick. Line the base of a lightly greased 28cm shallow metal pie tin and trim the excess pastry. ( I used my tart tin with the removeable base)

Gently press the edges with the back of a teaspoon and brush with eggwhite. Place on a baking tray.

Place sugar, golden syrup, butter, eggs, and cream in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Arrange pear in the base of the pastry shell and pour over the caramel mixture. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until just set. Allow to cool in tin. Serves 6

Nice big dollop of cream or ice-cream!!!

Enjoy! M x