Oh how I envy you all in the midst of summer right now. Not because of the heat, I hate hot weather. Just because of all that glorious summer fruit! There were definitely no blueberries or nectarines to be had around here, fresh or frozen. So I chose to make the most of two fruits which I think are perfect in winter, pears and apples.
I upped the wintery-ness of my pie by adding the zest of a lemon, a splash of brandy and a generous pinch of allspice to the filling. Absolutely delicious and very warming!
My pie was baked in an 8 inch cake pan and I used 4 pears and 3 large gala apples for the fruit. I also replaced the shortening in the pastry with coconut oil (which is solid at room temperature) which gave a lovely flaky result.
Served with a generous dollop of my best ever custard (which I posted a few weeks ago) this was the quintessential winter dessert.
I had to change fruits too and used mango. You made a great apple pie with a perfect crust!
ReplyDeleteThanks Paula! A mango pie sounds fabulous!
DeletePear and apple is one of my favorite - so this sounds wonderful to me :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's just a bit more special than a plain apple pie I think. Thanks Cher!
DeleteSounds and looks fabulous! You did wonders with what you had at hand.
ReplyDeleteI love pear pie , yours looks great!
ReplyDeletePear and apple sounds like a great combination. I will have to remember that when our 5 apple trees are ready to be picked! The cream looks great!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness that piece with the custard looks amazing! I LOVE custard! Sorry you weren't able to get any fresh berries but I think your substitutions sound super tasty. The coconut oil thing intrigues me, I've never heard of using it in pie crust.
ReplyDeleteLooks great. I am going to try your custard recipe. As an expat aussie living in the states I have to say I miss being able to buy a carton of custard. Luckily the fam loves custard and will have their minds blown when we move to oz and they see that you can just buy it at the shop and don't have to wait for mum to make it :)
ReplyDeletegreat idea to replace the shortening with coconut oil. That's healthier than crisco, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteLove your subs, Susan - looks great! :)
ReplyDeleteYour pie looks great! Love the smaller cake pan and the choice of perfect winter fruits. Good job!
ReplyDeleteyour pie does look wonderful! Love the substitute of pear and apple.
ReplyDeleteThat looks wonderful! What a great idea to use coconut oi.
ReplyDeleteYummy! It looks wonderful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the custard recipe. I'll try it.
WOW. Looks delicious. I can't ait t make your version in the Fall!!! YUMMY!
ReplyDeleteYum, looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteI love your winter variation. Coconut oil is a great ingredient, too.
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