Pear Pie with Walnut Crust

Crust:

I Tblsp. soft butter

2 cups walnuts

1/2 cup unbleached white flour

3 Tblsp. (packed) brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

about 3 Tblsp. water (as needed)

1) Generously grease a 9-inch pie pan with I Tblsp. soft butter.

2) Grind the walnuts until almost a paste in a food processor with the steel blade attachment or in a blender, using quick spurts. (If using a blender, grind the nuts in 3 or 4 batches rather than all at once.)

3) Combine the walnuts with flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon in a

medium-sized bowl. Mix with a fork until uniformly blended.

4) Add water 1 Tblsp. at a time, mixing after each addition. Add just enough to enable the dough to adhere to itself, but not so much that the dough becomes sticky.

5) Use your hands to press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the buttered pie pan, Set aside while you make the filling.

Filling:

5 to 6 average-sized firm, ripe pears

2 Tblsp. unbleached white four

3/4 tsp cinnamon

2 Tblsp. (packed) brown sugar (or more, to taste)

grated rind of 7 lemons

1 Tblsp. fresh lemon juice

a dash of salt

1/2 pint heavy cream(optional)

confectioners’ sugar, to taste (optional)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2) Peel and slice the pears, and place them in a medium-sized bowl. Gradually sprinkle in the flour as you toss the slices gently.

3) Add cinnamon, sugar, lemon rind and juice, and salt. Stir lightly.

4) Spread the filling into the unbaked crust. Bake for 35 min.

5) Meanwhile, if desired, whip the heavy cream, adding confectioners sugar to taste and 1 / 2 tsp vanilla extract. Refrigerate until serving time.

6) Serve the pie warm, topped with the whipped cream. Or, if you’d rather not bother making the whipped cream, you can serve it with vanilla ice cream.

Prep time:35 min., plus 35 min. to bake. Yield 1 9-inch pie