I love a good pumpkin pie. A lot. But it just reminds me too much of fall, so come winter I am jonesing for something a little more wintery. Because it’s silly (and asking for trouble) to bake an entire pie for two people I usually opt for mini pies. I actually tried this recipe first in our mini pie maker but it turned out to be a disaster with gooey insides everywhere and half the pie left in the machine. The combination of the pecan pie crust with sweet pears and tart cranberries was too good to solely exist in my mind as a defeat though, so I gave it another try using ramekins. The end result was delicious, easily sharable with our neighbor, adorable, and devoured immediately with vanilla bean ice cream.
Ingredients
Makes five pies using 7 oz. ramekins
{Crust– adapted from a Martha Stewart Living recipe}
Two cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/2 cup pecans, toasted (bake for ten minutes at 350º) and chopped
One tablespoon granulated sugar
One teaspoon coarse salt
Two sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water
{Filling– adapted from a recipe in Mini Pies Cookbook}
One tablespoon cornstarch
Two teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Two ripe pears, cut in 1/2″ to 1″ chunks
Two tablespoons unsalted butter
1-1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries
1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Pinch of salt
Directions
{Crust}
1. Pulse flour, pecans, granulated sugar, and salt in a food processor until pecans are finely chopped. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds. Drizzle with 1/2 cup ice water evenly over mixture. Pulse until mixture comes together when pressed in your hand (dough should not be wet or sticky). If dough is too dry, add more ice water, one tablespoon at a time, and pulse.
2. Lay out two pieces of plastic wrap. Empty half the dough onto each piece. Bring edges of wrap together to gather dough. Press into disks. Roll out disks, still wrapped in plastic, to 1/2-inch-thick rounds (8 inches in diameter). Refrigerate at least 45 minutes and up to 2 days.
{Filling}
1. Stir the cornstarch and lemon juice together in a small bowl until dissolved. Set aside.
2. In a frying pan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the pears, cranberries, brown sugar, lemon zest, and salt. Cook until the pears are tender (about ten minutes), stirring frequently.
3. Stir the cornstarch mixture and pour into the pan. Bring to a boil and boil until the liquid is thickened (about one to two minutes). Remove from heat.
{Making the mini pies}
1. Generously butter the ramekins. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Roll out the dough to approximately 1/8″ thickness on a floured surface. Place ramekin on dough and cut out a circle, about 1-1 1/2″ wider than the ramekin circumference. Also cut out a circle of dough to go on top, either by tracing the opening of the ramekin with a knife on the dough or by creating a lattice (see pictures below).
3. Place the circle of dough in the ramekin and push into place. Ensure the dough around the top is firmly pressed down.
4. Fill the ramekin with the filling until just below the top. Cover with additional pie crust.
5. Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for approximately 30 minutes, until the top crust is nicely browned. When done, place the ramekins on a cooling rack. They’re best served slightly warm!
