In the movie Waitress, the main character names her pies after whatever life events inspire her to bake them. There’s “I Hate My Husband Pie,” “Falling in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie,” and “Baby Screamin’ Its Head Off in the Middle of the Night and Ruinin’ My Life Pie.” I’m calling this maple-glazed pear galette the “Try to Keep It Together for Just a Few More Days” pie.
Work is insane right now, and it’s been insane for at least a month. I’ve been working weekends and evenings, and I’ve basically been putting off dealing with anything in life that might be disruptive to me being able to write. The result is that I’m on the verge of bubbling over. I’m one stubbed toe away from a total meltdown, but I’ve got to hang in there for just a few more days until I get all this work done and the deadlines have passed. So, to keep my wits, I made pie. And helped a friend pick out a bike to fix up. And took care of, like, every dog and cat in the neighborhood. Well, not all of them. But there was one day I got to work last week, and I went through a mental checklist: Fed Oliver and Gilligan? Check. Fed Otis and Annie? Check. Fed Sherman? Check. Fed Kittie? Check. And only then did I realize that I’d left a full pot of coffee untouched and had totally forgotten my own breakfast. Sheesh.
So, the pie. I used my go-to pastry recipe and some anjou pears that had been hanging out in my fridge for a week or so. It’s incredibly simple, but you do have to give yourself some time because the dough has to chill for at least two hours.
You’ll need:
1 1/2 c. flour
2 Tbsp sugar
9 Tbsp vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance)*
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2-4 Tbsp ice water
5-6 pears
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 Tbsp – 1/4 c. sugar, depending on the sweetness of the pears
canola oil for brushing
3-4 Tbsp maple syrup
*I can only find Earth Balance that’s been salted. If you can use an unsalted vegan margarine (transfat-free, of course), then you’ll have to add some salt—probably about a 1/4 tsp.)
So, here we go:
To make the crust: 1) Combine the apple cider vinegar and water and set aside. 2) Pulse the flour, sugar, and margarine in a food processor, until crumbly. Make sure to leave some pea-sized chunks of the margarine. These chunks are what’ll give you a flaky pastry. 3) With the motor running, gradually in ice water / vinegar mix. Add a little bit at a time and stop when your dough starts to form a loose ball. 4) Form into a ball, flatten to a disc, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least two ours.
To make the filling: 1) Peel and chop the pears. 2) Toss with the lime juice and as much sugar as you need to achieve desired sweetness. If you have really ripe, juicy bosc pears, for example, go easy on the sugar. If you have blandish, dry anjou pears like I had last night, go to town with da shuga.
Put it all together. 1) Roll the dough out thinly on a floured surface. Either use a pie plate or free-form it on a cookie sheet. 2) Layer the filling in the center—make it pretty if you have time. 3) Fold over the edges of the crust, pinching as needed. 4) Brush exposed crust with a little canola oil and sprinkle lightly with sugar. 5) Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes. 6) Keep an eye on it—if things look like they’re browning too quickly, you can always throw on a layer of tin foil to protect the top. 7) After removing the tart from the over, brush/drizzle with a maple glaze (just maple syrup thinned with a teeny bit of water.
Serve warm, while sitting around a fire with friends, if the opportunity presents itself. Goes nicely with a glass of port, I hear.
I expect I’ll be back with a “Boys Are Dumb” pie once things settle down & all.
In the movie Waitress, the main character names her pies after whatever life events inspire her to bake them. There’s “I Hate My Husband Pie,” “Falling in Love Chocolate Mousse Pie,” and “Baby Screamin’ Its Head Off in the Middle of the Night and Ruinin’ My Life Pie.” I’m calling this maple-glazed pear galette the “Try to Keep It Together for Just a Few More Days” pie.
Work is insane right now, and it’s been insane for at least a month. I’ve been working weekends and evenings, and I’ve basically been putting off dealing with anything in life that might be disruptive to me being able to write. The result is that I’m on the verge of bubbling over. I’m one stubbed toe away from a total meltdown, but I’ve got to hang in there for just a few more days until I get all this work done and the deadlines have passed. So, to keep my wits, I made pie. And helped a friend pick out a bike to fix up. And took care of, like, every dog and cat in the neighborhood. Well, not all of them. But there was one day I got to work last week, and I went through a mental checklist: Fed Oliver and Gilligan? Check. Fed Otis and Annie? Check. Fed Sherman? Check. Fed Kittie? Check. And only then did I realize that I’d left a full pot of coffee untouched and had totally forgotten my own breakfast. Sheesh.
So, the pie. I used my go-to pastry recipe and some anjou pears that had been hanging out in my fridge for a week or so. It’s incredibly simple, but you do have to give yourself some time because the dough has to chill for at least two hours.
You’ll need:
1 1/2 c. flour
2 Tbsp sugar
9 Tbsp vegan margarine (I use Earth Balance)*
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
2-4 Tbsp ice water
5-6 pears
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 Tbsp – 1/4 c. sugar, depending on the sweetness of the pears
canola oil for brushing
3-4 Tbsp maple syrup
*I can only find Earth Balance that’s been salted. If you can use an unsalted vegan margarine (transfat-free, of course), then you’ll have to add some salt—probably about a 1/4 tsp.)
So, here we go:
To make the crust: 1) Combine the apple cider vinegar and water and set aside. 2) Pulse the flour, sugar, and margarine in a food processor, until crumbly. Make sure to leave some pea-sized chunks of the margarine. These chunks are what’ll give you a flaky pastry. 3) With the motor running, gradually in ice water / vinegar mix. Add a little bit at a time and stop when your dough starts to form a loose ball. 4) Form into a ball, flatten to a disc, wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least two ours.
To make the filling: 1) Peel and chop the pears. 2) Toss with the lime juice and as much sugar as you need to achieve desired sweetness. If you have really ripe, juicy bosc pears, for example, go easy on the sugar. If you have blandish, dry anjou pears like I had last night, go to town with da shuga.
Put it all together. 1) Roll the dough out thinly on a floured surface. Either use a pie plate or free-form it on a cookie sheet. 2) Layer the filling in the center—make it pretty if you have time. 3) Fold over the edges of the crust, pinching as needed. 4) Brush exposed crust with a little canola oil and sprinkle lightly with sugar. 5) Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes. 6) Keep an eye on it—if things look like they’re browning too quickly, you can always throw on a layer of tin foil to protect the top. 7) After removing the tart from the over, brush/drizzle with a maple glaze (just maple syrup thinned with a teeny bit of water.
Serve warm, while sitting around a fire with friends, if the opportunity presents itself. Goes nicely with a glass of port, I hear.
I expect I’ll be back with a “Boys Are Dumb” pie once things settle down & all.