Makes one No.8 skillet pie (9-inch)
Ingredients
⅓ cup (106 grams) honey
¼ cup (60 grams) heavy cream
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pounds (906 grams) ripe pears, peeled if desired and thinly sliced
12 ounces (340 grams) cranberries (preferably fresh, or thawed and drained if frozen)
¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
¼ cup (28 grams) cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 double crust pie dough recipe (instructions here), prepared, divided into two disks, and chilled
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
Turbinado or sanding sugar, as needed for finishing
Instructions
1.
Bring the honey and cream to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture until it begins to simmer, but then stop stirring as soon as it begins to bubble. Attach a candy thermometer (or use an instant read thermometer) to cook the mixture until it reaches 235°F. Whisk in the salt and vanilla.
2.
Add the pears and cranberries and stir well to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fruit starts to soften, 7 to 9 minutes.
3.
In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to combine. Sprinkle this mixture over the pot and stir until well combined. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
4.
Allow the filling to cool completely; you can speed this up by pouring it onto a baking sheet (it will cool faster thanks to the increased surface area).
5.
While the filling cools, roll out one piece of the dough to ¼ inch thick on a lightly floured surface it should be about 2 to 3 inches wider than a No.8 Field Skillet all around. Use the rolling pin to gently transfer the dough to the skillet: gently lift the dough at the edges and then press it down to ensure it’s flushly touching the base and sides. Allow the excess dough to hang over the edge. Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
6.
Once the filling is cool, transfer it to the prepared crust. Refrigerate while you roll out the second portion of crust to ¼ inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Remove the skillet from the fridge and unfurl the crust over the filling.
7.
Press the edges of the dough together all the way around the pie to adhere them to one another and to slightly thin them out. Trim away the excess dough so there is only about 1 inch excess all the way around. Tuck the dough under itself around the edges. Crimp as desired.
8.
Refrigerate the pie, and preheat the oven to 400°F (preferably with the oven rack in the lower third of the oven). In a small bowl, whisk the egg and water to combine. When the oven has preheated, brush the top crust with the egg wash (but not the edges, which tend to brown enough on their own. Garnish generously with turbinado sugar. Cut a vent or vents into the top crust with a small knife.
9.
Bake the pie for 30 minutes, until the top is browned, then reduce the temperature to 375°F and bake for 15 to 20 minutes long, or until the crust is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling through the vents.
10.
10. Let the pie cool completely in the skillet before slicing and serving.