Poached Pear & Ginger Pie

Elegant and aromatic, this Poached Pear & Ginger Pie is the epitome of dessert sophistication. Featuring tender spiced red wine poached pears nestled in a buttery ginger frangipane and wrapped in all butter shortcrust pastry, this pie is a delightful fusion of warm spices and fruity sweetness.

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Serves: 6
Skill Level: intermediate

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Where to buy Carême Pastry

Ingredients

1 (400g packet) All Butter Shortcrust Pastry, defrosted
125g unsalted butter
125g raw caster sugar
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
2 eggs
125g ground almonds
2 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp candied ginger
1 egg, beaten (for glazing)
2 teaspoons demerara sugar.
Spiced red wine poached pears
3 medium Packham pears, peeled, quartered and cored
500ml red wine
¼ cup raw caster sugar
2 strips orange peel
1 cinnamon stick
2 star anise
2 slices fresh ginger (3mm thick).

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Lightly grease and dust with flour the base of a round 25cm x 3cm pie dish (old enamel or metal pie plates are perfect).

To make the poached pears:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, place the wine, sugar, orange peel, spices and ginger together, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Bring the mixture to the boil, then add the pears and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until the pears are tender. Remove from the heat, set aside and allow the pears to cool completely in the cooking liquid. Once the pears have cooled, remove from the poaching liquid and slice each quarter into thirds. Set aside until required.
On a clean lightly floured work surface, dust both sides of the pastry sheet with a little flour. Cut a 27cm circle from the pastry, then use it to line the pie plate so it sits over the edge of plate, then place into the fridge to chill. Reserve the remaining pastry in the fridge for decoration.

To make the frangipane:

Using an electric stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and ground ginger together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until each has been incorporated. Stir in the ground almonds and candied ginger, mixing until well combined.

To assemble the pie:

Spoon the frangipane into the prepared pie tin and spread evenly.
Lay the prepared pears in a concentric pattern on top of the frangipane. Cut shapes from remaining pastry to decorate the edge, brush the border with egg glaze and top with pastry shapes to decorate. (If you have lots of trim, cut more shapes and bake them as little biscuits). Brush decorations all over with egg glaze and sprinkle with the demerara sugar.
Place the baking tray into the oven and cook for 10 minutes at 200°C (180°C fan-forced), then reduce oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden and frangipane is cooked through.