A few years ago (well, more than a few, because it was before my husband and I had kids and before my parents sold their house and became the youngest, most active, and most rule-defying residents of a retirement community), my husband and I spent the weekend with my parents. My step-mom, delighted at the idea of company, made us a pie. And it was a reaaaaaaally good pie. It was a pear pie, but instead of being kind of like an apple pie only pears, it also had a smooth, creamy, sweet, spiced filling. I have been asking for that pie recipe for…I don’t know…I’m guessing 8 years now. It is met with, “Oh, as soon as I get home!” and “Let me see if I can find it!” and “Pear pie? What pear pie? I’ve never made a pear pie in my life!” Liars. They just don’t want me to have the recipe. So alas, using my memory as my inspiration, I tried to make my own creamy pear pie and I’m pretty sure I succeeded. I’ll also tell you right now that pears are awesome and way under-utilized and under-appreciated in pie.
For this pie, you’ll need a double pie crust , about 1 1/2 pounds of ripe (but not too ripe) pears, a 14-oz can of sweetened condensed milk, some cream cheese (live on the edge and get full-fat cream cheese for this recipe) vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, a little flour, and a little bit of milk.
Preheat the oven to 450.
Normally for this kind of stuff, I use my Apple Corer Peeler, but because pears are so, well, pear-shaped, I ran into some trouble and discovered this little wonder in my drawer of kitchen tools called a vegetable peeler. It worked like a charm (even if I did have to core and slice the apples myself. Who knew life could be so hard?)
So what I’m getting at here, what I’m telling you to do, is go peel and slice your pears. I’m feeling very verbose tonight. Then gently toss them in about 1 tablespoon of flour.
Roll out the bottom of your dough and then arrange your pears inside the crust. In the jar of your blender, combine the sweetened condensed milk, milk, cream cheese, cinnamon, and ginger until it’s nice and smooth. Pour it evenly over your pears and then roll out the other piece of pie crust dough and form whatever “lid” you want for your pie (I almost always make a lattice crust on top–check out the pie crust recipe for directions on how to make a lattice top).
Brush the crust with butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon (if you want–I’m not forcing you to do anything you don’t want to do here, but if you don’t want butter and cinnamon sugar on your pie, I’m not sure we can be friends). Place the pie in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes at 450. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 30 minutes or so or until the top is golden brown and the inside is thickened but not completely solid/Jello-y. DISCLAIMER: Remember that all ovens bake differently? Keep an eye on your pie. I have a gas oven and it does weird things, so if your pie is golden brown and beautiful after 20 minutes, take it out. If it’s not done after 35 minutes, keep on baking. It will all be okay. You can blame it on my oven, but don’t send me owl post saying I’m dumb because your pie wasn’t done after 30 minutes.
When your pie is done, let it cool completely on the counter and then refrigerate it. I like it served cold, but others may like it warm. I will not judge you or your pie preferences, I promise.
Creamy Pear Pie
Recipe by Our Best Bites
Ingredients:
1 double pie crust
About 1 1/2 lb. firm (not too ripe, not too green) pears, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
3 oz. cream cheese (from a block, not from a tub)
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Topping
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450.
Roll the bottom of the pie crust into the pie plate.
Toss the sliced pears in the flour. Arrange them evenly over the pie crust in the pie plate. Set aside.
In the jar of a blender, combine the sweetened condensed milk, milk, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and cream cheese. Blend until smooth. Pour evenly over the pear mixture. Use the remaining pie crust to form the top of the pie (we like to make a lattice top crust). Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 and bake for another 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the creamy mixture has thickened but not solidified. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature. This pie can be served warm or cold, preferably with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.
Questions & Reviews
My plan is to make this for Thanksgiving, but I’m wondering how far in advance I can make it? It’s Monday night, and I just made the dough, and rolled out half of it into my pie dish. Should I freeze it at this point, or can I keep it in the fridge over night and make the filling tomorrow (2 days before Thanksgiving)?
I made this pie tonight, and my creamy filling was a really weird texture. It curdled around the pears. That is the best way that I can describe it. I loved the flavor, but not the texture. I also made a sour cream peach pie tonight and the filling for that one came out great. It didn’t curdle. I follow the recipe exactly. Any ideas on why my cream filling was so weird?
Yep…my filling was weird too. It was more curdle-y than creamy. Actually, it wasn’t creamy at all. 🙁 I’m not sure what went wrong, but it was the first time an OBB recipe has ever not been the most delicious thing I’ve ever tried.
I had a similar problem. The filling was grainy and runny and not creamy. I’m wondering if I didn’t cook it long enough. The pie looks beautiful, but I wish it tasted as good as it looked.
When I told my family I was making a pear pie they gave me some funny looks. However, they quickly changes their minds when they tried it. This recipe is wonderful and a great way to use up an abundance of pears 🙂
This was an excellent alternative to apple pie. I just wasn’t feeling the regular old staple pie vibe this year, and this was a wonderful new addition to the repertoire. LOVED IT!
Does anyone know about how much longer it needs to bake at the 350 temp?
Nevermind! Found my answer in the blog post…..wasn’t in the printed recipe though so maybe someone should fix that? 🙂
Every year my family has upwards of 10 varieties of pie at our Thanksgiving dinner. We tried this one out this year and it was a huge hit! Thanks so much for another winner. 🙂
Kate! I must tell you that you have made a pie-believer out of my husband, who has told me for years that he doesn’t like any pies. He was converted after I convinced him to just try two bites of this pie! Now that we have conquered his soup, pumpkin, and pie aversions, I am off to tackle the fruit/meat combo he is still wary of.
p.s. I made this for a big Thanksgiving dinner without any qualms of bringing something I had never tried before-your recipes always work. Thanks!
Totally bringing this for Thanksgiving! Can I make it a day ahead?? Bake it and then keep it in the fridge?
I have a pear cobbler that my family loves, so they’d probably love this pie! I just never thought about doing it like that!
Thanks!
Oh thank you so much for this post! I have a bag of pears left from canning and was racking my brain on what to do with them when I sat down to catch up on blog posts 🙂 Its destiny, I’ve got to make it! lol
I’m going to try this with apples. I have about 2 pounds I need to use up and this sounds a lot more fun and interesting than a standard apple pie.
I shared this on my blog with a linkback to get the recipe: http://for-the-love-of-pie.blogspot.com/2011/11/creamy-pear-pie.html
@pril
I LOVE PEAR PIE! I have a delicious recipe for a creamy pear pie
http://makeyourtastebudsdance.blogspot.com/2008/06/fresh-pear-pie.html
It is delicious, but it can be a little runny (not great for presentation). I’ll have to try out your version, though I think I’d like it spice-free.
Where is the Printable format button? Thanks
I have never really heard of pears in a pie, but this recipe sounds wonderful.
Katie, I totally remember that pie that Lorraine made! Hands down the most delicious pie I’ve ever had. She said it was an Israeli pear pie, and she made it from pears from Grandma Harris’s tree, which are always SOO delicious. If it’s any consolation, I’ve been asking for that recipe for eight years too. But I don’t think it’s a secret she’s trying to guard. I think it’s secret she can’t find. There’s never been another pear pie since.
Here is another version of creamy pear pie that might have been the one your step mom used. Its the only recipe I have ever seen for it. I will have to give yours a try, I love cream cheese 🙂
1/3 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups peeled and sliced pears
1 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell
TOPPING:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a large bowl, stir together the white sugar and 2 tablespoons flour. Add pears, and toss to coat. Stir in the sour cream and vanilla, lemon and almond extracts until the pears are evenly coated. Pour into the unbaked pie shell.
In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup flour and brown sugar. Mix in the butter with your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the top of the pie.
Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake for an additional 45 minutes, or until pears are tender
I am so excited for a pear recipe. We make lots of things with pears like pear ice cream and pear crisp yummmmm!
Love this recipe!!! And would love a sillouette!!!!
This sounds delish. And your parents sound like quite a “pear.”