Pear Pie Fever!!! Soliciting Advice

[rampling]

It finally hit me the other day. Why have I never ran into Pear Pie??! I love pears, very much so, and it suddenly deeply disturbed me that I'd never ever seen a Pear Pie. Why not??

So I looked on google. Yeah, there were lots and lots of Pear Pie recipes. And I showed them to my sister, and she caught Pear Pie Fever too, even though she's

Comments

[wcg]

I've never seen a pear pie, but I have seen pear tarts. They're very nice. You should use very firm pears, because otherwise they'll get too soft in baking.

[usqueba]

I was wondering if they didn't have PP's much *because* the filling would be soft and runny. Some pears are too watery/mushy when they're ripe. I've seen pears recently that do a better job about being sweet and firm.

[rampling]

Kathy, (klwalton) in another comment below, recommends Bosc pears -- and she knows her stuff (I've savored her desserts). I saw the Bosc pears in the store; they looked funny, darker and greyer. I think that's what we're gonna try.

[rampling]

Not fair; I've never even run into Pear Tarts. And I'm getting the hint on firm pears, thanx!

[phinnia]

The best book for pies (or anything fiddly) is Shirley Corriher's Cookwise. It's fantastic.
Two tips for pie crust;
- My grandmother used to keep a bowl of ice water next to her pie dough while she was making it to dip her hands in so they wouldn't melt the butter
- I've heard that it's best to use your fingertips, not your palms, because your palms hold more heat.

(hi! I'm new.)

[rampling]

I'll think 'bout getting that book. In fact, apparently I already had it rec'd to me since it was already on my Amazon Wish List. So now it's even more likely that I'll get it....

Thanx for the pie crust tips!

[rampling]

P.S. Hi back!

[rampling]

Aha, my sister and I looked at pears earlier, before I posted this Pear Pie Fever entry, and noticed the weird-looking Bosc pears. Now we know what to do with them, thank you! And everyone seems to be advising on the pear firmness, so this'll be a great help.

Wow, I knew if anyone would know their Pear Pie, it'd be you! You've even made them! *drool* And, ohhh, I'll hafta check out those other pear things you mention. Mmmmmmmm, pears!!!

And you have a pie bird too. SO VERY awesome!

Re: P.S.

[rampling]

Baby steps, baby steps. I'm just starting out on the Pie Road, just barely starting. But, I'm quite excited about it! My biggest problem is I don't have a crew of people to help me consume pies; one is so big for one person with only occasional visitors! But... I'm determined, and my sister's excited and determined too. We'll see if this turns into full-fledged Pie Mania!

[ms_interpret]

I have a gluten-free pie crust recipe that I love. Everyone raves about it, before they even know it's gluten free. The reason it's so good and easy is that because there's no gluten, you can play with it as much as you like, and it'll never get chewy. Want the recipe?

[rampling]

Cool, thank you for the offer. But I think my sister & I are likely to start out with pre-made dough, since we're just total novices. Though if it works out well, and we get hooked, we're likely to try making pie crust by hand ourselves. We'll see. I'll ask later if we get there, thanx!

[amaebi]

Things about tarte tatin dough is that it's one of the easiest-to-handle pie crusts going-- and you want a rustic look.

[ms_interpret]

Okiedoke. I definitely recommend this before trying the regular crusts. Hell, I *knead* this and it comes out flaky.

Just let me know when/if you're ready.