Friday is PIE DAY!

It has been awhile since I made a fruit pie.  Summer brings such a proliferation of fresh fruit and seasonal berries, that it is sometimes difficult to keep up, but winter is a different story.  My pie list shrinks to pantry staples like nuts and dried fruit or egg custard based pies.  Apples are an obvious exception, and there are many wonderful variations, but it was a pile of bosc pears that called my name today.

Caramelized Pear Pie

1 double 9" pie crust

6-7 firm bosc pears

1/4 c unsalted butter

1/2 c brown sugar

1/4 c white sugar

1 T lemon juice

1 t vanilla

1 T rum

-peel, halve and core pears, then slice

(I use a melon baller to just scoop out the hard, seedy core part)

-in a heavy, deep pan, melt butter and sugar over medium heat

-add pears and lemon juice

-continue cooking over medium heat, stirring from time to time

-cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and caramel has thickened (be patient! the pears release a lot of liquid, so this process will take anywhere from 15-30 minutes)

-stir in vanilla and rum, and cook additional 1-2 minutes

-set aside to cool a bit while you roll pie crust, then fill bottom crust with pears

-top with crust and vent well

-bake at 425 for 20 minutes

-reduce heat to 350 and bake additional 15-20 minutes, until crust is browned

My hubby arrived home from work just as I was cutting the first taste test slice.  He let me have the first bite, but as soon as we got a taste, the race was on.  Each bite brought a slightly different combination and intensity of flavor, and we just couldn't stop.  I'm afraid that we've spoiled our dinner. 

Guess we'll just pour a glass of wine and call it good.