Apple and Pear Pie🥧
Pears are in the season which gave me the idea to make apple and pear pie. Apples and pears are a natural together. The tart, firm apples complement the sweet, tender pears in the most delicious way. It’s best served with whipped cream or vanilla icecream.
INGREDIENTS-
For the pie crust-
All purpose flour (Maida) - 300 gms or 2 cups + 6 tbsp
Butter (Softened) - 200 gms or 7/8th cup
Castor sugar or powdered sugar - 100 gms or 7/8th cup
Vanilla essence - few drops
For the filling-
Apple - 1.5 apples pealed and chopped
Pear - 1 big pealed and chopped
Brown sugar or regular powdered sugar - 60 gms or 1/2 cup
Butter - 25 gms or 2 tbsp
Cinnamon - a pinch
NOTES-
Pie crusts are a trickier affair. While rolling it you need parchment paper / baking paper or any sheet in which it doesn't stick.
Do not use hardened butter always leave out butter out of the fridge for half and hour or until it becomes soft.
Resting the dough is not necessary but keeping it in the fridge makes the crust tender and lets the gluten in to relax.
You can increase the quantity of apples and pear. While melting the sugar for the filling make sure it does burn.
I used a tart tin you can use any tin you want just make sure you can easily remove the pie without ruining it.
The perfect ratio for a tart is always 3:2:1 being Flour:Butter:Sugar. This ratio never goes wrong while making tart or pie crust.
PROCESS-
For the pie crust-
Take sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat it with a hand beater until light and fluffy. Add vanilla essence to it. Now add flour to the butter and sugar mixture and make a hard dough.
Now combine the dough in a ball and wrap it in a cling wrap and let it rest in the fridge for 2 hours. If your dough doesn‘t come together into a ball just put it in cling wrap and wrap it. After two hours take out your dough and take half of it and roll it inside a parchment paper.
You can use transparent sheets just dust it with flour so it doesn’t stick. After rolling it place it on your tin and adjust it. Make sure to dust your tin with little butter.
Poke holes in your tart using a fork so that it doesn’t fluff up while baking. Bake it for 10 mins in a preheated oven at 170 degrees C. Don’t over bake it. Just for 10 mins will be enough.
For the top design use the other half and roll it again. Using a nozzle makes a design on the rolled dough. Let it rest in the fridge while you make the filling.
For the filling-
In a non stick pan add butter and sugar. Stir it until the sugar dissolves. Do not burn it. Now add cinnamon, apples and pears.
Cook the apples and pear until nice and tender. Keep them in a bowl and set aside to cool down.
For assembling the tart-
In the tart pour your apple and pear filling. You can fill it till the top. I like mine with less filling that's why i filled it half.
Now take out your other half rolled dough from the fridge and place it on top of the filling.The dough tends to break while placing it so you have to be very careful. In case it breaks just adjust it with your hands and shape it.
Bake your tart at 170 degrees C for about 20-25 mins or until it becomes golden and brown from the top. Do not burn it. Let it cool down before de-moulding it otherwise it will break. When you take out the tart from the oven the crumb is usually soft in texture so do not get confused that its under baked. People tend to over bake and it becomes very hard.
Serve the tart with vanilla icecream as a perfect dessert.
