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Recipe
2 hr

Pear-Butterscotch Slab Pie

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Pear-Butterscotch Slab Pie
Author: Camila Chaparro

Recipe By Camila Chaparro

Published on October 17, 2024

When it comes to fall desserts, pears are the neglected siblings of apples, with apple concoctions far outnumbering those where pears are the star.

Time

2 hr

Yield

Serves 18 to 24

Why This Recipe Works

Pears can be more than just poached, and we set out to develop a beautiful slab pie featuring this other fall fruit. Firm but ripe Bosc pears gave our filling the best texture and didn't make the crust soggy. We matched the floral sweetness of the pears with a trio of warm spices (and not your average apple pie spices)—cinnamon, cloves, and star anise—and then drizzled our fruit filling with rich, buttery, vanilla-scented butterscotch. This pear slab pie was unique and deserved an appealing topper, so we covered it with pie dough cutouts—we loved the autumnal look of fall leaves (though you could choose another cutter). The cutouts were a simple alternative to a lattice crust but similarly ensured that moisture would evaporate during baking. With extra butterscotch sauce served on the side of our pear slab pie, no one will miss the apples.

Ingredients

PIE

2 recipes Slab Pie Dough
7 pounds (3.18 kilograms) ripe but firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick
¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) sugar
½ teaspoon table salt
¼ cup instant tapioca, ground
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground star anise
2 recipes Butterscotch Sauce, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 cup packed (7 ounces/198 grams) light brown sugar
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image

    BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

  1. Heat sugar, corn syrup, butter, and water in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often, until sugar is fully dissolved, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, without stirring, until sugar is fully dissolved, about 2 minutes. Off heat, carefully stir in cream and vanilla; mixture will bubble and steam. Continue to stir until sauce is smooth. Let cool slightly. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks; gently warm in microwave, stirring every 10 seconds, until pourable, before using.)
  2. PIE

  3. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll each dough square into 16 by 11‐inch rectangle on floured counter; stack on prepared sheet, separated by additional sheets of parchment. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is firm but still pliable, about 10 minutes.
  4. Using parchment as sling, transfer 2 chilled dough rectangles to counter; discard parchment. Spray second rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Starting at short side of 1 dough rectangle, loosely roll around rolling pin, then gently unroll over half of long side of prepared sheet, leaving about 2 inches of dough overhanging 3 edges. Repeat with second dough rectangle, unrolling it over empty side of sheet and overlapping first dough piece by ½ inch.
  5. Ease dough into sheet by gently lifting edges of dough with your hand while pressing into sheet bottom with your other hand. Brush overlapping edge of dough rectangles with water and press to seal. Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond edge of sheet. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should rest on edge of sheet. Crimp dough evenly around edge of sheet. Cover loosely with plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
  6. Using parchment as sling, transfer remaining 2 dough rectangles to counter. Using cookie cutters, cut as many shapes from dough rectangles as you can. Reserve dough scraps for another use. Return cutouts to sheet, still on parchment, and cover loosely with plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to lower-middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss pears, sugar, and salt together in large bowl. Let sit, tossing occasionally, until pears release their juices, about 30 minutes.
  8. Working in batches, drain pears thoroughly in colander, discarding juices; transfer to large bowl and discard juices. Whisk tapioca, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise together in small bowl, then add to pears and toss to combine. Spread pear mixture evenly over chilled dough-lined sheet, then drizzle evenly with 1 cup butterscotch sauce. Arrange cutouts evenly over fruit, being careful not to overlap more than 2 cutouts. Brush cutouts with egg wash.
  9. Place large sheet of aluminum foil directly on lower rack (to catch any bubbling juices). Place pie on upper rack and bake until crust is deep golden brown and juices are bubbling, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let pie cool on wire rack until filling has set, about 2 hours. Serve, passing remaining butterscotch sauce separately.

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Pear-Butterscotch Slab Pie

Recipe By Camila Chaparro

Published on October 17, 2024

Time

2 hr

Yield

Serves 18 to 24

Pear-Butterscotch Slab Pie

Ingredients

PIE

2 recipes Slab Pie Dough7 pounds (3.18 kilograms) ripe but firm Bosc pears, peeled, halved, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick¼ cup (1¾ ounces/50 grams) sugar½ teaspoon table salt¼ cup instant tapioca, ground1 teaspoon ground cinnamon¼ teaspoon ground cloves¼ teaspoon ground star anise2 recipes Butterscotch Sauce, divided1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water

BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick)1 cup packed (7 ounces/198 grams) light brown sugar½ cup heavy cream2 teaspoons light corn syrup1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

    BUTTERSCOTCH SAUCE

  1. Heat sugar, corn syrup, butter, and water in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring often, until sugar is fully dissolved, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, without stirring, until sugar is fully dissolved, about 2 minutes. Off heat, carefully stir in cream and vanilla; mixture will bubble and steam. Continue to stir until sauce is smooth. Let cool slightly. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks; gently warm in microwave, stirring every 10 seconds, until pourable, before using.)
  2. PIE

  3. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll each dough square into 16 by 11‐inch rectangle on floured counter; stack on prepared sheet, separated by additional sheets of parchment. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until dough is firm but still pliable, about 10 minutes.
  4. Using parchment as sling, transfer 2 chilled dough rectangles to counter; discard parchment. Spray second rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Starting at short side of 1 dough rectangle, loosely roll around rolling pin, then gently unroll over half of long side of prepared sheet, leaving about 2 inches of dough overhanging 3 edges. Repeat with second dough rectangle, unrolling it over empty side of sheet and overlapping first dough piece by ½ inch.
  5. Ease dough into sheet by gently lifting edges of dough with your hand while pressing into sheet bottom with your other hand. Brush overlapping edge of dough rectangles with water and press to seal. Trim overhang to ½ inch beyond edge of sheet. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should rest on edge of sheet. Crimp dough evenly around edge of sheet. Cover loosely with plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
  6. Using parchment as sling, transfer remaining 2 dough rectangles to counter. Using cookie cutters, cut as many shapes from dough rectangles as you can. Reserve dough scraps for another use. Return cutouts to sheet, still on parchment, and cover loosely with plastic. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to lower-middle and lowest positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss pears, sugar, and salt together in large bowl. Let sit, tossing occasionally, until pears release their juices, about 30 minutes.
  8. Working in batches, drain pears thoroughly in colander, discarding juices; transfer to large bowl and discard juices. Whisk tapioca, cinnamon, cloves, and star anise together in small bowl, then add to pears and toss to combine. Spread pear mixture evenly over chilled dough-lined sheet, then drizzle evenly with 1 cup butterscotch sauce. Arrange cutouts evenly over fruit, being careful not to overlap more than 2 cutouts. Brush cutouts with egg wash.
  9. Place large sheet of aluminum foil directly on lower rack (to catch any bubbling juices). Place pie on upper rack and bake until crust is deep golden brown and juices are bubbling, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Let pie cool on wire rack until filling has set, about 2 hours. Serve, passing remaining butterscotch sauce separately.
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