Pear And Sour Cherry Mincemeat Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees with racks in center and bottom third. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to a scant 1/8 inch thick (about 13 inches in diameter). Fit into a 9-inch pie dish. Roll remaining disk of dough on a lightly floured sheet of parchment to a scant 1/8 inch thick. Starting on right side, 2 inches from edge with a ruler held vertically, cut 2-inch slits with a paring knife into dough, spaced about 1 inch apart. Move ruler 1/2 inch to the left and continue making 2-inch slits, starting parallel to center of first set, so spaces alternate. Continue working across rest of dough, leaving a 2-inch border all around, then transfer parchment with dough to a baking sheet. Gently stretch dough horizontally to reveal grate pattern (if dough is too soft or breaking, refrigerate until pliable, about 10 minutes). Refrigerate pie dish and baking sheet with dough while making filling.
• Place cherries in a medium saucepan over medium heat; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until cherries release their juices and come to a simmer, about 15 minutes.
• In a bowl, whisk together sugar and cornstarch. Pour mixture into pan with cherries; stir to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until juices thicken, 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
• Peel, quarter, and core pears. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices. Add to cherry mixture along with vanilla, spices, and salt; stir to combine. Let cool completely. Filling can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 1 day.
• Transfer filling to crust; dot with butter. Cover with lattice piece of dough. Pinch dough where top and bottom crusts meet. Trim excess to a 1-inch overhang; roll dough underto seal and crimp as desired (to create a rope effect, slash rolled edge witha paring knife on a diagonal). Freeze 30 minutes.
• Whisk egg with 1 teaspoon water, then brush over top of pie. Place a parchment-lined baking sheet on bottom rack of oven. Bake pie on center rack until golden brown and bubbling in center (if browning too quickly, tent with foil), about 1 hour, 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 3 hours. Serve room-temperature.

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin roll out half of dough 1/8 inch thick (about a 12-inch round). Fit dough into a 9-inch (1-quart capacity) pie plate and trim edge, leaving a 3/4-inch overhang. Chill shell 30 minutes.
• On lightly floured surface roll out remaining dough 1/8 inch thick (about a 10-inch round) and with a sharp large knife or pastry wheel cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Put a 9-inch cardboard round (see above) on a baking sheet and arrange 4 pastry strips 3/4 inch apart in middle of round. Working with 1 pastry strip at a time, weave remaining strips over and under pastry strips on round, beginning in middle and working out to sides, and letting excess hang over round. Freeze lattice top, covered loosely, on round on baking sheet until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425° F.
• Spoon mincemeat into shell, smoothing top. Lift lattice top together with round off baking sheet and slide pastry carefully onto pie. (If pastry sticks to baking sheet or round, pry loose carefully with a small knife.) Let lattice top soften until pliable and trim flush with rim of pie plate. Roll shell overhang up over edge of lattice top, crimping edge decoratively. Brush lattice top with egg wash and bake pie in middle of oven until pastry is golden and filling just begins to bubble around edge, about 25 minutes. Transfer pie to a rack and cool. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Peel, quarter, and core pears. Chop pears coarse and in a bowl toss with lemon juice.
• In a dry 3 1/2- to 4-quart heavy saucepan cook 1/3 cup sugar over moderate heat, stirring with a fork, until melted and cook, without stirring, swirling pan, until a golden caramel. Remove pan from heat and carefully add water down side of pan (caramel will steam and harden). Return pan to heat and simmer mixture, stirring, until caramel is dissolved. Add pears, remaining 1/3 cup sugar, cherries, raisins, spices, and salt and simmer, stirring occasionally at beginning of cooking and frequently toward end to prevent sticking, until thickened, about 50 minutes.
• Stir in walnuts and brandy and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Cool mincemeat. Mincemeat may be used immediately but will improve in flavor if kept, covered and chilled, at least 1 day and up to 1 week.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, unfold dough, and roll to 10 by 15 inches. Cut into two 10-by-7 1/2-inch rectangles. Refrigerate until cold.
• Stir pears, cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and 1/8 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, and spice powder in a bowl.
• Transfer 1 rectangle of dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment. Spoon fruit mixture onto dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Brush border with beaten egg. Lay remaining dough over filling; press gently to seal. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Transfer to a room-temperature rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment.
• Trim edges, and brush top with beaten egg. Cut five 5-inch vents in top. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake, rotating once, until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, about 35 minutes. Transfer pie to a wire rack; let cool 20 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• To make the hard sauce, in a medium bowl set an electric mixer on high and beat the butter until fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add confectioners' sugar. When the sugar is incorporated, set the speed back to high. Add the brandy 1 tablespoon at a time and beat until combined. Beat in the nutmeg. Transfer the sauce to a ramekin or bowl, cover and refrigerate. Hard sauce can be made at least a week ahead, but allow it to come to room temperature before serving (about 20 minutes).
• To make the brown betty, heat the Cognac or brandy in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the liquid has come to a simmer, turn off the heat and add the cherries. Allow them to absorb most of the liquid, about 20 minutes.
• While cherries are standing, heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture for sprinkling. Add bread, butter and lemon zest. Toss until sugar has dissolved and bread is completely coated.
• In a shallow 1 1/2-quart gratin dish (or a 9-by-9-inch pan), scatter a little under half the bread cubes. Layer half the pear slices and half the cherries (along with any liquid) on top. Cover with a cup of bread crumbs and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons cider. Layer remaining pears, cherries and bread. Sprinkle top with remaining cider and reserved sugar-and-spice mixture.
• Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes. Take off foil and continue baking, until crumbs are golden brown and pears are very soft, about 15 minutes more. Serve warm with dollops of hard sauce.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
• Mix pears, cherries, cornstarch, 2/3 cup sugar, and almond extract in prepared baking dish. Combine flour, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, and nutmeg in a bowl; cut in butter with a knife or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle flour mixture over fruit.
• Bake in preheated oven until crust is golden, about 1 hour.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate while preparing filling., In a large bowl, toss pears and cherries with lemon juice and extract. In a small bowl, mix sugar and cornstarch; add to pear mixture, tossing to coat. Transfer to pastry-lined pie plate., For topping, in a small bowl, mix flour and sugar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in almonds. Sprinkle over filling., Bake 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cover edge loosely with foil during the last 15 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning. Cool on a wire rack.