Another Kind of Pie

I might be the only person alive to say this, but I'm just going to put it out there...

I don't like pumpkin pie. At all.

There, I've said it. Phew! Now that I've got that weight off my chest, let's dive right in to my favorite Thanksgiving alternative to the pumpkin pie - pear and almond cream. I discovered this delicious pie when I was tasked with bringing the non-pumpkin pie to Thanksgiving dinner one year. Here we are years later and it's still my go-to.

Pear and Almond-Cream Pie
(adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe)

Ingredients
Dough*:
-1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for surface
-1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp granulated sugar
-1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
-2 to 4 tbsp ice water

Filling:
-1 cup blanched almonds
-3/4 cup powdered sugar
-1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
-1 egg
-2 tbsp all purpose flour
-2/3 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp almond extract (I usually add just over a half teaspoon)
-1/2 cup apricot jam
-2 cans (15 oz each) pear halves, drained, patted dry, and sliced lengthwise

Directions
Make the dough: In a food processor, combine flour, salt, and granulated sugar; pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea size pieces of butter remaining. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp of ice water. Pulse until the dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed. If necessary, gradually add up to 2 more tablespoons of ice water.

Transfer the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form into a 3/4 inch thick disk and wrap tightly in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least one hour.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 12 inch round and fit into your pie plate, pressing up the sides. Refrigerate once pie plate is prepared.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Make the filling: In a food processor, pulse the almonds with powdered sugar until finely ground. Add the butter, egg, flour, salt, and almond extract and pulse until well combined.

Remove your pie plate from the fridge and spread 1/4 of the jam on bottom of dough. Feel free to use a bit more jam if you need to. Next, spread your almond cream on top of jam layer and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Then, arrange the pear slices in a fan pattern over the almond cream.

Bake 40 - 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and almond cream is puffed and set. Melt your remaining jam and brush over the top as a glaze.

*Frozen, pre-made pie crust will also work just as well for this if you'd rather keep the mess to a minimum.


There are some fun ways to make this pie your own and make it look different every year. If you have extra dough (or bought the pre-made stuff and it comes with two rolls of crust), you can use cookie cutters to decorate the top of your pie. No matter which design you decide to go with, it's sure to be a hit at all your family Thanksgivings and Friends-givings!

Posted in: Almond, Apricot, Pear, Pie, Thanksgiving