Posted on November 30 2017
It’s nutty, it’s rich, it’s got poached pears, creamy caramel filling and homemade-from-scratch almond shortcrust pastry and it is simply to.die.for. I don’t know about you but I don’t need any more convincing than that to head straight to the kitchen and make this indulgent special occasion dessert! You are going to absolutely LOVE this Rich Caramel Pecan Pear Pie!
This is without a doubt, in my opinion, The Best Pecan Pie Recipe IN THE WORLD.
Melt-in-the-mouth, buttery Rich Shortcrust Pastry made from scratch with a hint of almond, as I mentioned before, a creamy decadent caramel sauce which gets whipped to perfection with the addition of fresh eggs and chopped pecans. This sauce is poured into the baked pastry case, at which time the poached pears are nestled into the filling and the pie is baked until set – golden brown and gorgeous!
In all seriousness though, this is worthy of being an award winning pecan pie recipe! As I always do, I lightened up the sugar quantities so that this pecan pear pie is less sweet that usual which = JUST SWEET ENOUGH, and by no means too sweet.
H E A V E N L Y is what this Rich Caramel Pecan Pear Pie is, simply heaven-sent!
Also give these delicious desserts a try – How To Make The Perfect Christmas Cake, my Christmas Fruit Mince Pies With Light Pastry, my Rhubarb Apple Brown Butter Caramel Crumble, my Brown Butter Caramel Crumble Apple Pie, my Dairy & Sugar Free Almond Chocolate Truffles, The Best Chocolate Brownie Cake, my Stone Fruit Apple Date Brunch Cake and my Zesty Orange Honey Layer Cake.
There are quite a few steps to this pie, but don’t let that put you off, because it’s honestly very easy to make. It takes a bit of time, but TRUST ME, it’s worth every second!
The recipe steps are easy to follow and you will have made yourself a pecan pie crust from scratch, a pecan pie filling from scratch, with the added twist of some divine poached pears to make this pie that much more unique and special.
That being said, you can of course make this Rich Caramel Pecan Pear Pie with a frozen crust or a pre made crust if you need to save time, it will still be amazing! Another little trick is to make this pie ahead of time. You can whip it up the day before, store it in the refrigerator overnight, and warm it up in the oven just before you serve it. It will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator and can be frozen if you need to make it a while in advance.
This amazing pecan pear pie is made without corn syrup, is perfectly firm and not in the least bit runny, nobody wants that from their pecan pie!
A few variations on this Rich Caramel Pecan Pear Pie are to:
- Make cute little pecan pie tarts…a little more work but they are adorable, and lovely for a special event.
- OR this recipe can be made into pecan pie bars by using an oblong or square cake tin and cutting the pie into bars once cool. These make perfect finger desserts for large gatherings!
- Swap the pecans for walnuts and the pears for apples! No one will see it coming, and it makes a fun change.
- You can also make this pie with a graham cracker crust if you like, why not, it’s quick, easy and always delicious.
I am SO content to have this Rich Caramel Pecan Pear Pie as is, no additions necessary. But for extra decadence serve it with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream and you and your guests will be in SEVENTH HEAVEN!
Please try this recipe out very soon and don’t forget to leave a comment letting me know what you think of it, I’d love your input. I’ll be waiting to hear from you!
A Rich Pecan Pie recipe that is THE BEST I have ever tried! Made with a buttery, flakey almond crust from scratch, poached pears and a creamy caramel filling that is not too sweet...Heaven!
- FOR THE RICH SHORTCRUST PASTRY:
- 225 g (8 oz or 2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 110 g (4 oz or 1 cup) butter, cold
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 tsp almond extract ,optional
- 4 tsp ice cold water
- FOR THE FILLING:
- 2 medium ripe pears ,peeled, cored and sliced lengthways
- 60 g (1/4 cup) butter
- 100 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 150 ml (3/4 cup) cream
- 2 medium eggs, beaten
- 125 g (1 cup) pecans ,roughly chopped
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TO MAKE THE RICH SHORTCRUST PASTRY:
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Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). You will need a 23cm (9 inch) pie dish.
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In a large mixing bowl, rub the butter into the flour with your hands until you have what resembles fine crumbs. Stir in the sugar, almond extract (optional) and egg yolk.
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Now add the ice water and mix until the pastry comes together and can be formed into a ball. You don’t want it too wet or too dry, so add extra flour or water accordingly.
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Place the ball of pastry into a sealable plastic bag and let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Roll the pastry out on a clean, floured surface. You want it to be about 2mm thick.
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Line your pie dish with the pastry then place a piece of wax proof paper over the pastry and weight it down with some rice or raw beans. Bake the pastry for 10 - 12 minutes, remove the paper and bake for another 5 minutes until light golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
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TO MAKE THE FILLING:
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Place the pears in a medium saucepan with enough water to almost cover the pears, and gently simmer for 15 minutes until tender, drain and dry the pears with kitchen paper.
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Melt butter, brown sugar and syrup in a saucepan until no granules remain, then boil for 2mins. Pour in 100ml cream and simmer for 4 mins. Add remaining cream, stir and remove from the heat. Cool for 12mins before beating in the eggs and pecans.
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Spoon the mixture into the baked pastry case, add the pears in a circle design (fat side at the edges, thin side to the middle). Bake for 30 mins until the top looks set, but still a little wobbly. Cool for at least 20mins before serving.
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Serve with whipped cream or ice-cream and enjoy!
Work fairly quickly with the shortcrust pastry, as the aim is to keep all the ingredients as cold as possible which gives the pastry a nice flakey texture! (You can use a store bought crust if you're pushed for time).
This recipe can be used to make mini pecan pie tarts and pecan bars!
For a fun variation try this pie with walnuts and apples.
