Pear Gruyere Pie

Ah, doesn't that just sound so rhymey and delectable? Well, it is. So there.

Fall is upon us, it seems, and that meant a recent trip to a farm stand near Kopeka. I had intentions of making an apple pie, but the I also bought a ton of pears... And I started thinking of Pushing Daisies.

[Side note, that was seriously an awesome show! While I'm mainly a plot-hooked person, that show was visually stunning-- more so in the first season. Seriously, Netflix that baby and note that each scene has a two-three color scheme AND a geometric/pattern theme that permeates everything from costumes to scenery. Fascinating.]

Anyway, Chuck used to make a Pear Gruyere pie. I'm not usually a pie making person but I decided to experiment a la the old "Pie Hole." And I came up with this recipe.

Now I should mention, this started off seeming to not be a day for pie making. First I realized I was almost out of flour. Which meany my pie crust was a little moist, and had to be hand pressed. Someone kept eating all my pears (seriously she ate them faster than I could peel them!) I was out of nutmeg. And my pie dripped onto the bottom of my oven (yuck, but those drippings joined many others so at least they aren't lonely). But voila!

Pear Gruyere Pie

Crust:
2cups flour (I blended whole wheat and regular bleached flour, as I was out!)
8 Tbsp butter, cold and chopped
4-5 Tbsp cold water
Pinch of salt
3-4 oz of shredded Gruyere

(Mix by hand, adding a little more water if needed.chill dough for about 30 minutes, then divide and roll into two crusts.)


Filling:
Peel and dice pears (I used Bartlett)
Toss with A splash of lemon juice

In a separate bowl, combine a few handfuls of granulated sugar, pumpkin pie spice (or just nutmeg if you have it!) and 2 Tbsps butter. Sprinkle in with your pears and toss to coat.

Assemble the pie (I use a glass pie pan and just spray it with cooking spray to be safe.) Cut the top of the crust to vent, and sprinkle all over with about 3 oz of grated Gruyere.

Bake at 375 degrees (with a baking sheet underneath...) for about an hour or until bubbly delicious.

Enjoy and as you do chew away the bitterness of ABC's cancellation of Pushing Daisies.

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