Bourbon-Pear Pie

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I’m not sure why, but I am really excited about fall this year! Maybe it is the desire for the incessant heat to end. Or maybe the fact that it brings us one step closer to the holidays. Whatever the reason may be, I have tons of recipe ideas bouncing around in my head. First up, a delicious and elegant Bourbon-Pear Pie that is perfect for any holiday gathering.

You are not required to make this sugar-coated top crust for your pie, but isn’t it pretty? If you can make cut-out cookies for the holidays, you can make this crust.

Are you ready? There are a lot of steps, but non of them are complicated…I promise.

How to make Bourbon-Pear Pie

To make the dough:

Place the flour, sugar, salt, and butter into the bowl of a food processor.

Pulse to combine. Continue pulsing in short bursts until the butter is incorporated and small pea sized pieces form.

Continue to pulse while slowly streaming the water into the mixture until a ball forms.

Divide the dough into two equal portions {about 11.75 ounces}, flatten into a disc and wrap with plastic wrap.

Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.

To make the filling:

You will need 6 Bosc pears {about 3 pounds} that are ripe and still firm.

Peel, half, and core the pears.

Cut each half into 4 wedges, then cut the wedges in half.

They will not all be exactly the same size, pears are not perfectly round. They just need to be similar in size so they cook evenly.

Toss the pears with sugar, cinnamon, salt, and .25 cup of bourbon.

Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the pears and cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture starts to simmer, about 2 minutes. Cover the pan and cook, stirring occasionally until the pears are tender, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Test the pears with a knife to see if they are tender.

Strain the pears with a spider strainer or slotted spoon and place them in a bowl. Set aside.

Cook the juices in the skillet until caramelized and syrupy, about 2 minutes.

Pour the syrup over the pears and chill until cooled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place an inverted baking sheet in the oven. Line a second baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place one dough disc between two sheet of parchment paper and roll into a 12-inch circle.

Flip the dough over into a 9-inch pie pan and gently remove the parchment paper.

Press the dough down to remove any gaps. Fold the edge of the dough over and press to seal. Crimp the edges and place in the refrigerator to chill.

Roll out the second dough disc into a 12-inch circle and cut out leaves {or stars, hearts, etc.} using 1 1/2-inch, 2-inch- and 3 1/2-inch cutters.

Place the cut-outs on the parchment lined baking sheet. Brush with the beaten egg and sprinkle half with sugar. Place the pan in the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes. {or place in the freezer for 15 minutes}.

Mix the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of bourbon together in a small bowl.

Stir into the cooled pears and pour into the chilled pie crust.

Lay the leaves over the top of the filling, overlapping some until almost all of the pie is covered but some of the filling is still showing through.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and slide on top of the inverted baking sheet in the oven. Bake until the crust is light golden brown, the pears are tender, and the filling is bubbly, about 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 1 hour before serving.

with a scoop of vanilla ice cream of course!!

Recipe Notes & Tips

• Make sure your butter and water are ice cold when you add them to your pie crust!
• If you do not wish to use bourbon…substitute water or apple juice with 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.
• I used gold decorative sugar because that is what I had on hand. Use whatever color you prefer.
• If you prefer to make a two-crust pie and skip making the leaves…place the second pie crust on top of the pears. Trim the excess dough, and crimp the edges. Cut vent holes in the top and bake.

My original plan was to use fall colors on the leaves, red, orange, green to top my Bourbon-Pear Pie, but not all of my decorative sugars made it here from Iowa. The gold turned out to be a subtle and pretty surprise.

More delicious pie recipes

• Lattice Top Apple Pie
• Dairy-free Pumpkin Pie
• Fresh Blueberry Crumb Pie
• Mini Dutch Apple Pies
• Pina Colada Cream Pie
• Chocolate Cream Pie

Hmm, maybe I just want it to be fall for the food!!

Enjoy!!