Pear Pie with Maple and Ginger
Inspired by Pie, by Ken Haedrich (Harvard Common Press, 2004).
The early colonists made pies like this one, heaped with harvest
pears, sweetened with natural sugar and maple syrup, and with a zesty
spicy snap from ginger. We know now that ginger is an
anti-inflammatory herb that offers healing for indigestion from
over-indulgence, among other things. Healing benefits, autumn aromas
and succulent fall tastes: Pear Pie with Maple and Ginger has them
all.
Dough for one pie crust
7 cups cored and sliced ripe pears
1/3 cup Sucanat or other natural sweetener
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon (optional; use only if you like a very lemony
pear pie)
1 tablespoon minced candied ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small bits
Roll out the dough on a piece of lightly floured parchment paper, using a
floured rolling pin. Turn the paper upside down over a 9 1/2-inch
deep-dish pie pan, center it, and peel back the paper. Tenderly tuck the
pastry into the pan, crimping the edges prettily. Refrigerate for 15
minutes. In a large bowl, combine pears, sweetener, maple syrup, tapioca,
lemon juice, lemon zest (if youre using it), and ginger. Toss well to mix
and set aside. Preheat oven to 400F. Pour filling into pie shell, gently
smoothing it into place with your hands. Dot with butter. Place pie in
center of oven (you might want to place it on some aluminum foil, in case
of bubbling over) and bake 30 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to
375, rotate pie so back faces front, and continue baking another 30 to 35
minutes, until juices are bubbling. Take pie out of oven and place on
wire rack. Allow to cool 2 hours or more, as juices will thicken.
Serves 8 to 10.
Helpful Hints: You can also make this pie with a vented top crust or
a lattice crust, but we prefer to reduce the carbs and calories and
make this an open-top pie.
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