This is my favorite pie! It's my mom's specialty & we always have it for Thanksgiving & Christmas--it's a must try!
Pear Crumble Pie
6 medium Bartlet pears (ripe)
3 Tbsp. lemon juice (fresh is best)
1/2 C. sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. lemon zest
9-inch pie crust (unbaked)
Wash & peel pears & cut into thin slices (it works best to have a big bowl of cold water with some lemon juice (I used bottled) & a little bit of salt to put the pears in as you slice them, that way they don't turn brown. Then just drain the water when you are all done cutting & ready to use them). Stir lemon juice into pears. Combine sugar, flour, & lemon zest & add to the pear & lemon juice mixture. Put into pie crust & cover with crumble topping.
Crumble Topping
1/2 C. sugar
1/2 C. flour
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. mace (not a commonly used spice, but it really adds to the flavor of the pie)
1/4 C. butter (cold)
Mix the sugar, flour, & spices together. Cut in cold butter. Crumble topping on top of pears. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then turn oven down to 350 degrees and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until pears are tender & the pie is browned & bubbly. You may need to cover the outer edges of the crust (with a pie shield or tinfoil) so it doesn't burn. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
*These pies freeze great (for several months--wrap in 2 layers of saran wrap & 2 layers of tinfoil), so it's smart to make a bunch of pies all at once & then freeze some (I did a triple batch & it made 4 pies). Just put the pie into the oven straight from the freezer. It will just take longer to bake & you may need to cover the edges of the pie crust so it doesn't get over-done.
Pie Crust Mix
12 1/2 C. flour
2 Tbsp. salt
5 C. crisco (regular or butter-flavored, I use regular)
Combine all ingredients with a pastry blender (or use a fork) until you reach the consistency of cornmeal. This can be stored for several months in a cool place & in a container with a tight fitting lid.
* I did a quarter of a batch & it makes 4 pie crusts. Here's the amounts:
3 1/8 C. flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 C. crisco
Pie Crust
2 1/2 C. pie crust mix
1/4 C. very cold water
1 egg, beaten
1 Tbsp. lemon juice or vinegar (I use fresh lemon juice)
Mix all ingredients together until just combined. Roll out on a floured surface until you reach desired size & thickness. The dough is quite sticky, so you will need to sprinkle it with a little flour (just not too much because you don't want the crust to be tough) before rolling it out.
Makes two 9-inch pie crusts. Bake at 425 degrees for approximately 10 minutes (if you're making a pie that needs an already baked pie crust) or follow the pie recipe instructions for baking.
*You could do a smaller recipe of the pie crust mix if you wanted, but it's nice to have when you want to quickly make a pie crust.
recipe from Mom
