Everybody knows that when it comes to Fall food, there are a couple of heavy hitting flavors that will always be synonymous with the season – namely apple and pumpkin. I mean, I’ve already posted a couple of our favorites on here like Salted Caramel Apple Pie and Starbucks Copycat Twice Glazed Pumpkin Scones. But there are loads of other fruits and vegetables that really shine during this time of year but can be overlooked for their more renowned seasonal counterparts. And those seasonal fruits are perfect for making PIES! If you love pie, you’ve come to the right place! We have dozens of pie recipes to choose from, including favorites like Razzleberry Pie, Sour Cream Apple Pie, and Blueberry Custard Pie!
When are pears in season?
Bartlett pears, which can be either green or red, start their season in late summer and continue through the fall, while Bosc and Comice pears are available starting in fall and through winter. Anjou (or d’Anjou) pears also come in both red and green varieties and they are considered more of a winter pear. But even they start their season in mid-fall, so you will start noticing lots of pear options filling up the produce section in your favorite grocery store or local farmer’s markets (if you are lucky enough to have one year round like we do).
Ways to Use Pears
Besides eating pears out of hand or baking them into a pie, you might want to consider one of these ideas!
Slice them up and add them to your grilled cheese sandwich for a sweet & savory elevated combo Poach or grill them and serve with ice cream Add them to a salad Serve them with brie or even better – baked brie, which is one of my all-time favorite treats (recipe coming soon!)
Ingredient Notes
Spices: My pear pie recipe is spiced mainly with nutmeg, and just a hint of cinnamon. I tend to spice my pies on the lighter side because I want the fruit flavor to shine through. Nutmeg is a wonderful, warm surprise because we aren’t as used to that fruit and spice combination as we are to apples and cinnamon. If you aren’t a fan of nutmeg you could just replace it with all cinnamon in this recipe. Flour: This is the primary thickening agent so that the pie is set up and sliceable when fully cooled, but still juicy. Pears: The shining stars of pear pie have to be the pears! Look for bosc or bartletts, preferably, that are on the firm side.
How to Make This Recipe
Start by rolling out your bottom crust and using it to line the bottom of a 9-inch pie plate (affiliate link). Set this in the fridge while you work on the filling. To make the filling, toss peeled and sliced pears in a large bowl with sugar, flour, a little lemon juice and lemon zest, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Transfer the filling to the cold pie crust and dot with pieces of butter on top. In a separate bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Then add the melted butter and mix with a fork until evenly moistened and crumbly. Sprinkle this evenly over the top of the filling. You can crimp the edges of your crust for a decorative finish or make a braided crust design if you are feeling fancy. Bake at 375 degrees F for 50-60 minutes until the crumb topping is golden brown on top. You may need to shield the edge crust on the top of the pie with foil or using a silicon pie shield if it looks like it is browning too quickly. Let the pie cool completely before slicing and serving. It needs to cool all the way to set up or it won’t slice cleanly. You can always reward the pie in the oven for 10 minutes or microwave individual slices before serving if you like your pie warm. Pear pie is especially delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of homemade salted caramel sauce on top!
Recipe Tips
Homemade pie crust is so much better than store-bought! Making homemade pie is easier than you think, especially with my recipe for the perfect pie crust. I even have a video tutorial for how I make it on my YouTube channel that you might want to check out. But this pear pie is even easier because you don’t have to worry about a top crust and instead just sprinkle a crumble topping on instead! Use cold ingredients. Keeping your pie crust cold until you are ready to bake will give the flakiest results in your pie crust. Buy extra pears. Trust me – it seems like mine disappear when they are in the house because my family loves them so I like to have a few extra on hand just in case.
More Pie Recipes
Homemade Blackberry Pie Best Homemade Cherry Pie Recipe Easy Coconut Cream Pie Best Key Lime Pie Recipe
This post was originally published in October, 2016. The photos and content were updated in December, 2021.
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