Pear crumble pie

Had the inspiration to make pear crumble pie two days ago, and it was a success!
I adapted the recipes from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pear-crumb-pie/ and http://cookalmostanything.blogspot.com/2011/07/pear-crumble-pie.html


I used Bosc pears, after consulting with a baker friend. These pears are apparently more crunchy than other brands, if you like your pie to have a crunchy filling.

• Pastry: 
• 1 frozen pastry shell (from major supermarkets such as Safeway and Whole Foods)
• 
  
• Filling:
• slightly less than 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 dash ground nutmeg
• 6 cups peeled pear chunks (equivalent to approx. 6 pears)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 
  
• Crumble Topping:
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup cold butter 

Instructions:

1. Toss and combine filling ingredients; spoon into the crust, avoiding adding the excess liquid . 

2. Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes. 

3. Meanwhile, make the crumble topping. First combine the flour and brown sugar and then cut in butter until crumbly. (cutting in butter means you chop up the block of butter while coating it with flour/sugar. Good for relieving stress and venting frustration till satisfied) 

4. Sprinkle crumble topping over filling and bake for another 40 minutes. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary.

Result: A tasty snack with a crunchy, tart filling that is complemented by the crumbly crust that doesn't require too much mastication. 

My only concern was the slightly soggy pastry bottom (pears have a lot of water after all), which falls apart if you try to serve it right after removing from the oven. However, according to the 2nd link I posted, you can get around that by adding almond meal (and I think oatmeal too) to the pastry bottom before adding the filling, to help soak up some of the juices that would leak out during the baking process. The sogginess disappears if you let it sit for 20 min though, if you have patience enough to wait so long.. 

In any case, the pie tastes great whether hot or cold. Enjoy!

p.s. this recipe can be adapted to make apple pie. Just use 8 cups of tart Granny Smith apples. Some recipes ask for more flour, but I believe this just determines how thick the filling ends up.