We got a really sweet card celebrating our wedding from Rich’s mom the other day; and a cute little Hallowe’en one as well, filled with coupons and recipes, including a recipe for Pear Bread (!)
How did mom know I was working through a surfeit of pears?
Unfortunately, I had already dedicated my Pyrus stock to those spiced pear cookies, this recipe, and a surprisingly tasty pear, spinach, red onion and pecan ‘za with mozzarella cheese and my barbecue sauce (look for that tomorrow – it’s a Pear Festival!), so the pear bread will have to wait until next week or so, after, ermmm, I’ve bought more pears…
We were up at Woodman’s in Kenosha on Sunday, and came across this book at the checkout that had to be had (along with Everyday Food’s Thanksgiving edition). Rich was intrigued by the toffee pumpkin cheesecake on the cover, I by several other recipes that’ll no doubt be showing up here sometime soon-ish; but my abundance of rapidly aging pears – ermmm, and lack of a decent Port and a bit of Stilton – meant that this Bisquick-based recipe got rights of first to be made from the new book.
It’s simple, it’s really good, and I have to tip my hat to the nice folk at Bisquick – it really is a custard-y pear pie! – tho’ I added a touch of ginger and was glad I did.
INGREDIENTS
Struesel Topping:
•1/2 cup Bisquick (the recipe specifies original, so use the ‘lite’ version at your peril)
•1/4 cup oats (old-fashioned or quick cooking are fine, you won’t have the issue I did with my oatmeal pie)
•1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
•1/2 tsp nutmeg
•1 tbsp butter
Pie:
•1/2 cup Bisquick (see the note above)
•1/3 cup granulated sugar
•1/2 cup milk – I used whole milk
•2 tbsp butter, softened
•2 eggs
•3 pears, peeled and sliced
•I also added that 1/4 tsp ground ginger, and thought it a nice compliment to the pears
Heat oven to 350º and coat a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.
Make the struesel by stirring the Bisquick, oats, brown sugar, and nutmeg together and cutting in the butter with two knives or a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly (I used my Cuisinart and should’ve just done it by hand, my topping came out a bit too fine, tho’ it still tasted good). Set aside while you put the pie together.
Stir the remaining Bisquick together with the granulated sugar, milk, softened butter, eggs, and ginger (you really should add this) with a whisk until well blended, then pour into the prepared pie dish.
Arrange your peeled and sliced pears on top of the custard mixture and pop in the oven for 25 minutes – it’ll come out looking like this. Nice, huh?
Sprinkle your struesel over the pie and return to the oven for another 12 to 15 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cool for thirty minutes on a wire rack and serve warm, or at room temperature.
Store any leftover pie in the fridge.