Four & Twenty Blackbirds' Junipear Pie

Name: Four & Twenty Blackbirds' Junipear Pie
Prep time: 2 h
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Global
Ingredients: 2 Tbsps cider vinegar; 8 servings Demerara sugar, for finishing; 1 large Egg wash egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water and a pinch of salt); 3 Tbsps all-purpose flour; 118 milliliters granulated sugar; 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon; 59 milliliters honey; 118 milliliters ice; 2 teaspoons dried juniper berries; 1 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 lemon; 1 pinch Pinch finely grated lemon zest; 1 orange; 1 kilograms to 7 medium pears fresh); 296 milliliters unbleached all-purpose flour; 113 grams (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 118 milliliters cold water

Four & Twenty Blackbirds' Junipear Pie is a vegetarian dessert. One serving contains 367 calories, 4g of protein, and 13g of fat. This recipe serves 8. If you have ice, demerara sugar, orange, and a few other ingredients on hand, you can make it. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately 2 hours.

Instructions

For the Crust: Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl.

Ingredients you will need

Crust

All Purpose Flour

Sugar

Salt

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula.

Ingredients you will need

Butter

All Purpose Flour

Equipment you will use

Dough Scraper

Spatula

With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to overblend).

Ingredients you will need

Butter

All Purpose Flour

Equipment you will use

Blender

Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a large measuring cup or bowl.

Ingredients you will need

Apple Cider Vinegar

Water

Ice

Equipment you will use

Measuring Cup

Bowl

Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated.

Ingredients you will need

Water

All Purpose Flour

Equipment you will use

Dough Scraper

Spatula

Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, using the bench scraper or your hands (or both) to mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.

Ingredients you will need

Water

Dough

Equipment you will use

Dough Scraper

Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine.

Ingredients you will need

Water

Dough

Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow.

Ingredients you will need

Crust

Dough

Wrap

Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.

Ingredients you will need

Dough

For the filling: Have ready and refrigerated one pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan and pastry round or lattice to top.

Equipment you will use

Pie Form

Juice the lemon and orange into a large bowl, removing any seeds.

Ingredients you will need

Orange

Juice

Lemon

Seeds

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Prepare the pears using an apple-peeling machine, or core, peel, and thinly slice them with a sharp knife or on a mandoline until you have about 5 cups sliced.

Ingredients you will need

Apple

Pear

Equipment you will use

Mandoline

Knife

Dredge the slices in the lemon and orange juice.

Ingredients you will need

Orange Juice

Lemon

Sprinkle lightly with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar.

Ingredients you will need

Granulated Sugar

Set aside to soften slightly and release some of the juices, 20 to 30 minutes.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar, flour, juniper berries, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest; process until the juniper berries are chopped and fragrant.

Ingredients you will need

Granulated Sugar

Juniper Berries

Lemon Zest

Cinnamon

All Purpose Flour

Salt

Equipment you will use

Food Processor

Bowl

To remove any remaining large pieces of juniper berry, shake the sugar mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.

Ingredients you will need

Juniper Berries

Shake

Sugar

Equipment you will use

Sieve

Bowl

Leaving behind any excess juice, transfer the pears to the bowl together with the sugar mixture, add the honey, and toss to combine.

Ingredients you will need

Honey

Juice

Pear

Sugar

Equipment you will use

Bowl

Tightly layer the pears in the prepared pie shell so that there are minimal gaps, mounding them slightly higher in the center.

Ingredients you will need

Pie Crust

Pear

Arrange the lattice or pastry round on top and crimp as desired.

Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to set the pastry.

Meanwhile, position the oven racks in the bottom and center positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack, and preheat the oven to 425°F.

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Oven

Brush the pastry with the egg wash to coat, and sprinkle with the desired amount of demerara sugar.

Ingredients you will need

Demerara Sugar

Egg

Place the pie on the rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven.

Equipment you will use

Baking Sheet

Oven

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is set and beginning to brown.

Equipment you will use

Oven

Lower the oven temperature to 375°F, move the pie to the center oven rack, and continue to bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Test the pears with a skewer or sharp knife; they should be tender.

Ingredients you will need

Pear

Equipment you will use

Oven

Skewers