Tuesday Tastings :: Apple, Pear & Cranberry Pie

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Let’s just start by saying that, when it comes to making pies, I am far from a perfectionist. So go ahead and shake your head at my uneven crust edges and the oozing stickiness pooling at the edges of the pie plate, I don’t care! To me, the only real measure of pie-baking success is whether or not it tastes so good that people are practically licking their plates to get every last drop of goodness. And while we’re being rebellious, I’m just gonna say it: I think it’s totally fine to use store-bought pie crust. Maybe it’s because I’m more of a fillings than crust fan, but I like the consistency of knowing exactly what I’m going to get from a boxed pie crust (and yeah, I still think that making homemade pastry crust is hard, no matter how many times Martha Stewart disagrees!) So, now that we’ve got that out of the way… let’s talk about this apple, pear & cranberry pie with walnut streusel. Since I was feeling particularly autumnal this weekend, I decided to kickoff my Thanksgiving recipe planning with a pie that combines all my favorite fall flavors in one perfect bite. The streusel crust serves a double purpose: it covers up any imperfections that my pie crust will undoubtedly have, and it ends up making this a sort of hybrid between a pie and a crumble. Heaven! Keep reading for the recipe, and let me know what other pies you guys are most excited about seeing on the Thanksgiving table this year! The countdown has begun…

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Apple, Pear & Cranberry Pie with Walnut Streusel

*serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1 teaspoon for dusting cranberries
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup frozen cranberries
• 3 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I used granny smith)
• 3 medium pears, peeled and thinly sliced (I used bartletts)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 pie crust dough, homemade or store-bought (thawed if frozen)

for streusel topping:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
  

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, butter, cinnamon, salt and vanilla. Stir to combine. Lightly toss the cranberries with a teaspoon of flour just to coat, then add to bowl with apples, pears and cornstarch. Gently toss to combine everything.

2. Roll out dough to just under 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim excess, leaving a 1-inch overhang, then fold under so that the dough goes just to the edge of the pie plate. Fill dough with apple-pear mixture.

3. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in walnuts then sprinkle evenly over the filling. Bake at 375 degrees for an hour, until apples are tender. Remove from oven and let sit 15 minutes before serving. A scoop of vanilla bean ice cream takes it over the top.