Sapelo Island Pear Pie

Total Time: 2 hrs 50 mins Preparation Time: 2 hrs Cook Time: 50 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• pastry dough, for a 9-inch double-crust pie
• 6 cups peeled cored and chopped pears (about 3 lb.)
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar or 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Recipe

• 1 heat oven to 375°.
• 2 line a 9-inch pie pan with crust, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang.
• 3 in a large saucepan or dutch oven, combine the pears, sugars, 1/4 cup water, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
• 4 bring to a gentle boil and then quickly reduce the heat to a lively simmer.
• 5 cook, stirring now and then to mix everything together, until the pears are tender and surrounded by a clear, fragrant syrup, 15-20 minutes.
• 6 remove from the heat, add in the butter and the flour; stir to mix everything well.
• 7 pour the pear filling into the piecrust.
• 8 roll the remaining dough into a 10-inch circle and place it carefully over the filling.
• 9 trim away extra pastry extending beyond the rim of the pie pan.
• 10 fold the crust up and over, and crimp it decoratively (or press the tines of a fork into the pastry rim, working around the pan to make a design.
• 11 use a sharp knife to make eight slits in the top of the pie, so that steam can escape and the pie's juices can bubble up.
• 12 place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips and place it on the center shelf of the oven.
• 13 bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbles up through the top of the pie, 40-50 minutes.
• 14 place the pie on a cooling rack or a folded kitchen towel and let cool for at least 45 minutes.
• 15 serve warm or at room temperature.