A Mighty Tasty Pear Pie

This was indeed one of the best pies I've tasted (if I do say so myself). I brought it to a baby shower yesterday, and the mommy-to-be ate two pieces. One of the outstanding features of this pie is that the only butter (or for my vegan friends, margarine) is on the pan. It's a no-butter crust! The key is that the recipes uses the naturally buttery flavor of walnuts instead.

I've made a short movie (yes, I know it's been a while) to show you how to make the pie. The recipe follows below the film.



adapted from Pear Pie with Walnut Crust, from "Still Life with Menu" by Mollie Katzen

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 tablespoon soft butter or non-dairy buttery spread
2 cups walnuts
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons agave nectar
dash salt

Filling:
5 ripe red pears
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons agave nectar
zest of one lemon
juice of half the lemon
dash salt

Directions:

Make crust first:
1. Generously grease 9-in. pie pan.
2. In your food processor, pulse the walnuts until they're in 1/4 in. chunks.
3. Add the flour, salt and cinnamon to the processor and pulse until the walnuts are down to a mealy texture.
4. Slowly add the agave nectar, one tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together.
5. Remove the crust from the processor and gently press it into the prepared pie pan. Reserve 1/4 cup of the crust for topping the pie. Set the shell aside while making the filling.

Make the filling:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Core and slice the pears. Don't peel if they're as nice as the ones in my little film.
3. Toss the pears gently with the flour.
4. Add the cinnamon, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Toss gently.
5. Add the agave nectar and toss gently.
6. Scoop the pears into the crust and bake for 20 minutes, loosely covered with a piece of aluminum foil that has a hole cut for the middle. (This is done to keep the shell from burning.)
7. After 20 minutes, pull out the pie, crumble the reserved crust to make a nice, even topping. Bake for 17 more minutes.
8. The pie will be pretty wet, but as it cools, it will set nicely. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

Enjoy!