Elizabethan Era recipes - Pear pie
Click here to view a printable version - requires PDF viewer10 inch unbaked pie pastry shell and lid
Quarter of a cup of white wine
2 tablespoons of sugar
Eighth of a teaspoons cloves
Quarter of a teaspoon of Cinnamon
3 large Anjou pears, peeled, halved and cored
1 tablespoon or Rose water
1 teaspoon of melted butter
1 additional teaspoon of Rose water
1 - 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1) Bake pie shell at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 5 minutes allow to cool.
2) In a heavy enameled saucepan, combine wine, sugar, cloves and Cinnamon. Bring to the boil
3) Add pear halves. Cover and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes or until fruit is firm but easily pierced with a fork.
4) Drain fruit, reserving the wine syrup. Set the fruit aside.
5) Add 1 tablespoon of rose water to wine syrup and stir. Boil briskly for around 5 minutes or until syrup is reduced to about quarter of a cup. Allow to cool.
6) Toss the pear halves in syrup to coat
7) Set pear halves flat side down in pie shell with narrow ends towards the center. Brush any excess syrup on top.
8) Drape pastry lid over fruit and crimp edge.
9) Combine melted butter and additional rose water. Brush lid with this mixture and sprinkle top with brown sugar. Slash lid in a few places to allow steam to escape.
10) Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until lid is golden.
11) Serve warm.
Serves 6