Pear Pie

Ihad a craving…ohh lord did I have a carving. As you guys know, when I need it, I need it…~grin~. I craved an apple pie. However, just the thought of baking a pie, made me cringe. Well not making the pie itself but the notion of using the stupid oven. I hate it. Thing is, that I have a love-hate (mainly hate) relationship with my oven. How can people use ovens, is beyond me. In theory one puts a food item in this ‘thing’ and out pops a baked/cooked culinary gem, or so it seems. But then not all ovens are the same, are they!, some hotter the others, or some do not retain the heat, so they tell me. So let’s face it, its manly down to how well you know the ‘thing’, Right!!. Plus not to mention the ‘thing’ has three buttons and two knobs and for the life me, I can’t figure out what does what. Is it a guy thing or is it just me. When I walk into the kitchen, I can feel its eyes giving me ‘that’ look, as if I am some despicable unworthy male in the house, believe me; I avoid eye contact with the ‘thing’ at all cost.
Alas, I had a craving and there was no stopping me. So I decided to cast away my personal prejudices and confront my demons and fears. I started by treating the oven with respect and tender loving care. Well surprisingly we are getting on very well. The ‘thing’ is no longer an object of ridicule but a thing of beauty and devotion. I am now a staunch fan of my dear oven (please note, now referred to as the oven not the ‘thing’). See the proof below of the baby we just produced.
So I started my pie making journey with some trepidation. Firstly, I did not have any apples but pears instead, which worked out fine as it turned out. I came across an apple pie post and I loved the pie filling recipe, so had to try it. Please do visit Plate of the Day. I love the spices added to the filling mixture (I added even more spices to give it some kick). The filling was great, please do try it.
Okay now the tricky bit. I have never made pie crust before and I came across the method as described by Pastry Chat awhile back and I decided to try it. For the pie crust, I used the two knives method, decided not to use the pastry blender or the electric mixer. I had to try the authentic way, like mom used to make pastry. Well not my mom, but you know what I mean. The result was enjoyed with single cream drizzled all over the warm pear pie. See my oven did deliver, just goes to show, place trust in something/someone and you never know the rewards you may reap
Pear Pie
Conclusion: It’s a bit tricky making pastry, the secret being everything must be cold and please do not knead the dough too much. Making pastry requires patience and cannot be rushed. The result was amazing, really light, soft and flaky pastry. Not bad for a first timer BUT thanks goes to the Pastry Chat for a lovely crust method and Plate of the Day for the filling.