Pear Pomegranate Pie

I've had this recipe sitting in my to-bake box since 2009 when it first came out on the NYTimes. I know a few other people had tried it out, but it somehow never made the priority list, especially as I have two other reliable, delicious pear pies under my belt. In a pie frenzy prior to Thanksgiving, however, I wouldn't rest until I had made it. I used Odwalla pomegranate limeade for the filling, and ended up not quite following the instructions as far as the molasses was concerned. In the end, two of the three people I shared it with raved about it, but the Robber (the third, and perhaps most honest) said, "I can't tell if it is supposed to taste sophisticated or if it is a little bit burned." And in the end I have to agree. It wasn't bad. It was interesting. But I think unless it is the wintertime I'll be sticking to my other pear pie recipes for now.

Note: I don't see the point of ever pre-cooking pears for a pie. They soften beautifully and when I attempted to pre-cook them for this pie and for a scone recipe a while back (which I didn't blog because it failed so epically), I found the pears too be way too mushy and to release too much fluid, whereas using them raw produced a tender, less soupy product. If I make this again, I will disregard the instructions to pre-cook, omit the butter, and just stir my pears up in the molasses, sugar and spices. 

Originally from the NYTimes, but my link is from PieLoveYou:

http://pieloveyou.blogspot.com/2010/12/pear-pomegranate-pie-47.html

Ingredients:

For the pomegranate molasses:

4 C. pomegranate juice

1/2 C. sugar

1 T. lemon juice (omit if using Odwalla pomegranate limeade)

For the crust:

1 1/4 C. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

10 T. unsalted high-fat butter, chilled and cut into pieces

2-5 T. ice water

For the filling:

4 Bosc pears, peeled and cored

4 Anjou pears, peeled and cored (can also use Bartlett or red)

6 T. pomegranate molasses

3 T. unsalted butter

3 T. tapioca (I used flour)

3/4 C. light brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

For the pomegranate molasses:

1. Place the pomegranate juice, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely dissolved.

2. Reduce the heat to med-low and cook until the mixture has reduced to 1 1/2 C., about 50 min.

3. Remove from heat and allow to cool in saucepan for 30 min. Transfer to glass jar and cool completely before covering and refrigerating for up to 6 months.

For the crust:

1. Mix together flour and salt. Cut in (or use a food processor to combine) butter until small pieces are formed. Add ice water 1 T. at a time until dough just holds together.

2. Form dough into a ball, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

For the filling and assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Slice pears. Bring 3 T. molasses to boil in large skillet over med-high heat. Simmer for approx 2 min until molasses thickens.

3. Arrange half the pears in a single layer in the skillet. Add 1 1/2 T. butter to pears. Cook, turning occasionally, until pears are well caramelized on all sides, about 5 minutes.

4. Scrape pears and molasses into a bowl. Add tapioca and toss to combine. Repeat cooking process with remaining molasses, butter and pears. Add the second batch of pears to the first.

5. Stir in sugar, ginger and salt.

6. Roll out crust. Add pear filling to bottom crust in pie plate and the add top crust either as a complete crust or as a lattice.

7. Place pie on on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15 min.

8. Reduce the heat to 350F and bake for an additional 30-45 minutes until pears are tender and crust is golden brown. Serve after the pie has cooled at least 30 min.