Dutch Asian Pear Pie
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Get ready to be wonderfully surprised with this Dutch Asian pear pie: a buttery and crumbly oatmeal streusel gives way to a creamy and crunchy filling that sits atop a light and flaky crust. Wait a minute. Did you just see ‘Dutch Asian pear pie’ earlier? Oh yes, you did! Have you bit into these heavenly Asian pears? Have you experienced the burst of a mouthful of sweet Asian pear nectar? No? Go, get them now!
These pale yellow beauties taste like pear nectar infused apples. Plus they’re nutritious. Crunchy and grainy, they hold a surprisingly large amount of nectar that bellies their structure. Asian pears, otherwise known as Chinese pears are grown right here in Karnataka (well, whaddya know!). They’re more easily available than regular pears and also cost lesser than them. A good lot of people shy away from adding them to pies and jams due to their high nectar content. Instead they use the nectar as a substitute for sugar and in sauces. But like I mentioned earlier, you’ll be wonderfully surprised with how it tastes in a Dutch pie.
Since we buy them at least once a month, I really wanted to see how they taste in a pie. I chose a Dutch streusel as I knew the Asian pear would boil away and release it’s nectar and get the pastry top all soggy. So I sprinkled the streusel generously over the filling; and even though I spied the streusel being pushed up, it held on firmly and didn’t let any liquid through. (Yay!) I ensured the filling was thick — I used cornflour and cream to achieve that. And the nutmeg and cinnamon took the Dutch Asian pear pie to a whole new level of yum!
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #notjustspice.
Asian Pear (Wikipedia)
What Are the Benefits of Asian Pears? (healthyeating.sfgate.com)
In praise of the Asian pear (The Telegraph)
Asian Pear Pie (Betty Crocker)
Dutch Apple Pie Cookies (notjustspice)
How To Make the Perfect Classic Pastry Crust (notjustspice)