the good part about his early morning burst of energy was that he wanted orange juice, which means he was going to have to go to the store, ANNNDDDD pick up all the other stuff we need. Bingo. so he perched on the bed next to me with pen and paper to find out what wasn't in the fridge. somehow in my slobbering half sleep, i remembered to tell him we needed pie crusts. "Why?" you ask, because i have a bushel of pears from a friends tree that need to be put to good use and i keep forgetting to pick up the unbaked crusts at the store. there are plenty of things we do with these pears. my father makes wine (o YUM!) my mom makes cobblers, and there is always jam. but for a quick fix, i like to buy the unbaked pie crusts and whip up a delicious dessert that melts hearts an is SUPER simple to make.
(does anyone else do that? i love using morning cooking and baking as an excuse to sip coffee and be pajama clad a bit longer. i mean, why would i get 'real' cloths dirty when im already in this?)
usually i keep this process to the minimal simple, but i had a new container of quick oats and decided to add a little flare to my pie, hense the crumble. if you happen to be out of oats or short on time, this recipe is quite good and just as impressive without it. i liked the fact that a smattering of oatmeal made me feel as if i was giving my family a kinda-sorta-not-really healthy
type of dessert.
2-3 lbs barlett pears, very ripe (home harvested or store bought) 1 package (2 crusts) of store bought unbaked pie crust 1/4 lemon juice 2 tble cinnamon (and a pinch) 1 tble nutmeg 1 tble ginger 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 tble white sugar (and a pinch) 1 tble chinese five spice powder (if on hand) 2 tble quick cooking tapioca 1/2 cup quick cooking oats 1 tble honey non stick cooking spray | preheat oven to 400 degrees Chop pears, skin on and toss in a small bowl add cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, 5 spice brown and white sugars, quick cooking tapioca, and lemon juice stir until well combined and all the pear pieces are covered in spices. spray a pie pan with non stick spray, unroll one pie crust and lay in pan. spray crust with non stick spray, sprinkle with oats and drizzle with honey, top this with the pear mixture and another sprinkling of oats. if you are going to lattice your top crust (tutorial coming) do so now. If not, lay whole crust onto the pie and crimp edges together, cut slits in the top of the pie, so it can vent steam. i like to fold the two crust up and pinch to form a bit of a barrier against pie filling overflow, this is especially helpful with latticed crusts. spray the top crust with non-stick spray, sprinkle with (you guessed it) even more oats and a bit of white sugar. place in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes. remove when the crust is browned and the filling is bubbleing |