Pear Pandowdy Crust Recipes

PEAR PANDOWDY

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse flour, hazelnuts, granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor until just combined. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. With machine running, slowly add 1/4 cup water and process until mixture just begins to hold together. If dough is too dry, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse.
• Shape dough into 2 disks, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 1 disk until firm, about 1 hour. (Freeze remaining disk for another use.)
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out dough to a 1/8-inch-thick rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a piece of parchment. Cut dough into 2-by-3-inch pieces. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine pears, granulated sugar, figs, lemon juice, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Transfer filling to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish.
• Arrange dough pieces in a patchwork design, overlapping slightly and leaving holes in between as steam vents. Brush with egg wash, and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until top is golden brown and filling is bubbling in the center, about 55 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

PERFECT PEAR PANDOWDY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Make the filling: Peel and core pears, and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in a large bowl, and add dried cranberries, brown sugar, salt, pistachios, coconut, brandy, if using, and clove; toss until thoroughly combined. Transfer to a 2-quart pyrex or ceramic baking dish. Dot top with butter.
• Remove dough squares from refrigerator; place on top of filling so that they are slightly overlapping, leaving some filling uncovered. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and cream; brush over dough. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.
• Bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven, and push crust partly down into fruit mixture. Serve warm.

PEAR PANDOWDY

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the first 6 ingredients. Cook and stir over medium heat until pears are tender, about 5 minutes. Pour into a greased 3-cup baking dish. , In a small bowl, combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in water. Sprinkle over pear mixture. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. , Bake, uncovered, at 375° until a toothpick inserted into topping comes out clean and topping is lightly browned, 20-25 minutes. If desired, serve warm with ice cream.

APPLE PANDOWDY

Steps:

• In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Add water and lemon juice; cook and stir over medium heat until thick. Cover and set aside. , In a bowl, combine baking powder and remaining flour and salt. Cut in 3 tablespoons butter. Add the milk and mix just until moistened (a few lumps will remain); set aside. , Arrange apples in a 1-1/2-quart baking dish; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Add nutmeg, vanilla and remaining butter to sauce; pour over apples. Drop dough by spoonfuls over sauce. Combine remaining cinnamon and coarse sugar; sprinkle over dough. Bake at 350° until top is brown and apples are tender, about 55 minutes. Serve warm, with whipped cream if desired.

GINGERED PEAR AND RASPBERRY PANDOWDY

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.
• To make the fruit filling, rub the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl, then add the pears and lemon juice and toss until evenly coated.
• Gently fold in the raspberries, then transfer the fruit to the prepared pan.
• Distribute the butter atop the fruit.
• To make the biscuit, whisk the flour, 3 tablespoons of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
• Add the butter and toss until evenly coated. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the size of large peas. (Alternatively, you can put the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse to combine.
• Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of large peas, then transfer to a bowl).
• Stir in the candied ginger, then pour in the 2⁄3 cup buttermilk and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
• The dough will be crumbly, with large pieces of butter still visible. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently press the dough together, then press it into a 9-inch circle.
• Carefully place the dough atop the fruit. Brush the dough with the 1 tablespoon buttermilk,then sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
• Bake in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the juices are bubbly and thick.
• Allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.