{Thanksgiving Potluck} Pear Pie

No Thanksgiving is complete without a little pie, of course!  Today our guest is Emily, who writes for two blogs, Swanky Taco Tuesday, a foodie blog with a few family adventures thrown in and Beauties and the Feast, a virtual recipe club she contributes to along with five girlfriends. A resident of the Pacific Northwest, Emily works in PR and Marketing by day, but her true passions are cooking, baking, wine drinking and cocktail consuming. Read on to meet her and indulge in her tasty family recipe for Pear Pie!

Favorite Thanksgiving Dish or Tradition? Just one!? Thanksgiving isn’t complete without a brined turkey, my Uncle Kevin’s Crème Fresh Sweet Potato and Carrot Puree, Apple Prune Sausage Stuffing, and Shiitake Mushroom Gravy!

Pumpkin Pie or Apple Pie? Pumpkin, hands down. My favorites are homemade Praline Pumpkin Chiffon Pie and Costco Pumpkin Pie. Hold the whipped cream please.

Cooking Mantra: Good friends, music and a glass of wine will make every meal a success.

What are you thankful for this year? My awesome family and good health.

Thanks to the HAP ladies for inviting me to be a part of their virtual Thanksgiving! For dessert, I’m including Pear Pie, a family favorite!

Pear Pie
1 unbaked 9”pie crust (plus extra crust for decorative leaves)
3 – 4 medium Bartlett Pears (yellow but firm)
¼ cup butter
1 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake the pie crust blind (put foil in the crust and fill with pie weights) for 10 minutes. Remove pie weights and foil and bake 4 more minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees.

Peel pears and halve and core them. Place pears in the pie crust with the cut side down, narrow ends of the pear toward the center. I sometimes quarter some of the pears, so they’ll all fit. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add rest of the ingredients and mix (you’ll have thick custard). Pour mixture over pears and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until filling is set and lightly browned.

Because my pie crust always turns out with a bit of a “rustic” look, I like to take a cookie cutter and extra pie crust and make shapes to cover up the imperfections! Cool before cutting.