Pie Day Celebration!

Saturday January 23rd was National Pie Day!! To celebrate the day I (not surprisingly) baked a pie!! :) I wanted to use ingredients that were in season, which I have to admit is a little challenging when all I wanted was a fruit pie in mid-January (in Boston.) Luckily for me, months ago I tossed a bag of cranberries in the freezer! And happily I was able to make a very tasty pie and share among friends. I made a cranberry pear pie with walnut crumble topping. See original recipe here and my own methods and styles below.

Cranberry Pear Pie with Walnut Crumble Topping
Preparation: 2o minutes
Baking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:
1 pie crust
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp butter, melted
2 large pears, sliced
1 cup frozen cranberries

Topping Ingredients:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup cold butter, cubed
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions and Comments:
I love making homemade pie crusts. There's something scientifically entertaining and exciting about trying to get the proportions of the ingredients just right in-order to have that most amazing melt in your mouth pie crust experience; howwwwever, reality also sometimes smacks me in the face taunting me with my not-so-always realistic goals. I too fall into the bunch of people who I don't have enough time... Needless to say, I succumbed to reality and bought a pre-made pie crust. I went into my local Whole Food's Market and bought the cheapest ready-to-go pie crust. And honestly, in a time crunch, this is the way to go! No hassle. No mess. As an added bonus, the frozen pie crust can sit pretty in the freezer until you're ready to pour in the fruit filling and bake.

First, begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Second, start slicing the pears. I used 3 large green Anjou pears! Of note, I had too much filling for one pie. If you don't want extras, just use 2 large pears. On the other hand, I poured the extra filling into a pyrex dish and baked along with the pie. Two desserts with no extra effort! Yay!


Moving on, slice the pear long ways. Remove core. Slice remaining pear length-wise. Combine cranberries and sliced pears in one large bowl. In a small bowl combine all-purpose flour, maple syrup and melted butter. Pour liquid mixture over fruit mixture and toss to coat. Spoon into pie crust. Of note, I used over the counter reduced sugar (actually made with sugar NOT HFCS!) syrup. (But, we won't talk about the natural colorings that are in it...) I would have preferred to use my locally made organic maple syrup, but I ran out! (Tear!) So whatever you have in the kitchen cabinet will suffice! Promise!


In a medium bowl mix together the topping ingredients of all-purpose flour, brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and walnuts. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over pie.


Before baking the pie cover the edges of the crust with tinfoil to prevent burning.


Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove tinfoil and bake pie at 350 degrees for about 40 additional minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool, and indulge! :)


The best part about Pie Day is not only baking a pie, but sharing it with good friends!! Hope you had a lovely Pie Day! I did!