Friday is PIE DAY!

oops-I tried an intriguing new pie recipe today, but I got a late start, so it is still cooling..........
will give a full recipe and report tomorrow!

OK-pie has now been sampled a couple of times.  This is a recipe for Grape & Pear Pie that I found in the October issue of Better Homes and Gardens.  I usually have a fairly good idea whether I think a recipe will work or not, or if I will like it.  I was not sure that this would really be a good pie, but I was curious enough to give it a try. 

Here is the recipe as given in the magazine, slightly condensed:

Grape & Pear Pie
1 recipe Pastry for Double-Crust Pie
1/3 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c packed brown sugar
2 T butter, melted
1 t finely shredded orange peel
5 cups whole seedless red or black grapes
2 medium red pears, cored and sliced (2 cups)
1 egg white

-For filling, stir together brown sugar, flour, butter, and orange peel.
-add grapes and pears, toss.
-pour filling into prepared crust, top with second crust, crimp and vent
-cover edges with foil
-bake at 375 for 35 minutes
-remove foil
-bake additonal 35-40 minutes until crust is golden

I followed the recipe exactly, even though I was slightly dubious of a fruit pie with only 1/4 cup of sugar.  ( also, I am a big fan of pears in pie, but have never thought that grapes were a great pie fruit.)  The resulting pie is, indeed, a bit curious.  It is not quite savory and not quite sweet.  The sweetness of the grapes definitely seems to take up some of the slack for the lack of sugar, but I was not a big fan of the grapes.  I think that this pie needs a third element, as it is a bit underwhelming as is.  My initial thought was to add some golden raisins, now I am thinking that a cheddar crust might fit the bill.  It would enhance and compliment the pie flavors and savory factor without overwhelming the sweet, subtle grape flavor.  Perhaps I will experiment with this one a little more and report back.