It’s that time of year again when I have the pleasure of doing my annual pie shoot with my dear friend, Emily-the-Pie-Maven. Ahhhh I love the holidays and this tradition with Emily is truly one of my favorites. Now that she and I both have boisterous toddlers, we rarely have the opportunity to casually cook or chat together. It seems like it’s only once a year, at our pie shoot, that we can speak to each other in complete sentences with full attention without having to stop everything to catch a flying (correction: falling!) daredevil 2-year-old! The calm of the tradition is complimented by the incredible scents wafting through the house and finished by the insane flavor-filled fruits of our labor. Mmmmm.
This year we have a tart and sweet rustic pomegranate pear pie. I’ve included a recipe for a gluten-free press in flourless hazelnut crust which is delicious! The gluten-free crust makes this an open-faced pie. It’s easy to make this pie as pictured with the leaves using your favorite pie crust recipe. Emily hand cut the leaves for this regular flour artistic pie and boy did she nail it! She subbed 1/2 cup of the flour in her usual crust recipe for 1/2 cup ground hazelnuts and it was fantastic! The gluten-free crust cannot make these leaves as it is a press in crust and can’t be rolled;)
The pomegranate molasses in this recipe is a necessary and divine addition as it balances the sweet pear with the tartness of pomegranate. You can buy pomegranate molasses at some grocery stores and Persian markets but it’s easy to make. I’ve included the simple recipe at the end and it’s sooooo good!
Rustic Pomegranate Pear Pie + Gluten-Free Hazelnut Crust!
This pear and pomegranate pie of my favorite rustic pies!! So much flavor and texture in one little serving!
Author: Crystal Cartier
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Vegetarian, Gluten-Free
Ingredients
GLUTEN-FREE Crust
- 1 cup oat flour
- ½ cup ground hazelnuts or pecans
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3-4 Tablespoons melted butter or liquid coconut oil
Pomegranate Pear Pie Filling
- 5 cups sliced bosc pears, ripe but a bit firm and unpeeled
- ½ cups pomegranate seeds plus more for garnish
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses (*recipe below)
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- Hazelnut Flourless Crust (recipe above) or regular pie crust of your choice.
Pomegranate Syrup
- 4 cups pomegranate juice
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
GLUTEN-FREE Crust
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Mix all but oil. Mix in 3 Tb oil up to 4Tb until the mixture is moist but not sticky. Press evenly into pie pan or 2 cocottes.
- Pre-bake for 10 min at 375 degrees.
*makes 1 regular sized pie bottom crust or 2 cocottes. Double recipe to make 4 cocottes to accommodate the amount of pear mixture or cut the pie filling recipe in half to accomodate 2 cocottes.
Pomegranate Pear Pie Filling
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Mix sugar, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl.
- Arrange sliced pears layer by layer over bottom crust, sprinkling sugar mixture and ¼ cup of the pomegranate seeds over each layer as you go.
- After assembling the top layer, drizzle molasses evenly over pie/s, sprinkle the last of the sugar on top and scatter little blobs of the butter on top of pie. If using regular crust, place top crust over the filling, pinch around edges and brush with egg wash.
- Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce to 350 degrees for 40 minutes or so until golden and bubbling.
- Top with fresh pomegranate seeds.
Pomegranate Syrup
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid has reduced to 1 cup (~ 75 minutes). It should be thick like warm molasses. Allow to cool for a while then transfer to jar to cool completely before refrigerating. Can be stored in refrigerator for 6 months or so
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