Pears and apples PAIR up for a terrific, spicy fruit pie

I had blogged that I was saving the last of the last of our pears for something special. This is the something special—Spiced Apple-Pear Pie. Our brand-new apple tree this year also managed to produce a few apples. So I merged the remaining pears and these apples into this marvelous dessert after I found a recipe on www.foodnetwork.com. What a great fruit-pie featuring this combo!

The pears and apples paired up (pun absolutely intended!) to become indistinguishable in a compote that was cooked on the stovetop until the fruit softened before it was poured into the pie crust. Peeled and diced pears and apples were combined with lemon juice, flour, sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger cooked in a saucepan until the fruit was ready. The top crust was brushed with egg to aid in browning and then dusted with sugar so it was oven-ready.

Even without sugar-free Blue Bell Ice Cream to top it (I forgot to get some at the grocery), this was an unimaginably good dessert.

Goodbye pears and apples until next season! We can hardly wait—and I’ll be saving recipes all winter long to accommodate the likes of you.

Spiced Apple-Pear Pie

1/2 lemon

3 pounds baking apples, such as Golden Delicious (about 6 apples)

1 1/2 pounds baking pears, such as firm Bartletts (about 3 pears)

2/3 cup sugar (or sugar substitute) plus more for sprinkling on the pie

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt (or salt substitute)

pinch of nutmeg

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 large egg, beaten (or 1/4 cup egg substitute)

your favorite two-crust pie crust recipe

Finely grate the lemon zest and set aside. Peel, core, and slice both the apples and pears into 1/2-inch slices. Squeeze the lemon juice over the fruit, then toss fruit with the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and nutmeg. In a large skillet over medium-high heat melt the butter. Add fruit and cook; stir until the sugar dissolves and juices simmer, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, until the fruit softens and the juices evaporate some, about 10 minutes. Evenly mix the flour into the fruit; then cook about a minute more to thicken the juices slightly. Stir in the vanilla and lemon zest and remove from heat. The filling should resemble a tight compote. Cool completely. When cool pour filling into the bottom crust of the pie. Place top crust over the filling. Cut 6 to 8 steam vents into the top of the top crust. Brush pie with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Place pie on a baking sheet and cook for 15 minutes to 425 degrees. Then reduce the temperature to 375 degrees and bake until the crust both top and bottom are golden brown, about 30-35 minutes more. If the edges begin to brown too quickly, cut a pie shield out of a piece of aluminum foil and cover the edges.