For my B'day...Lattice Pear Pie

When you make your own birthday dessert, it means that you are really and truly a grown-up. Damn. I rather liked being a kid!

For the past decade, instead of a birthday cake I requested a birthday pie - my take on "bucking the system." (I know, I'm such a bad ass!) But, I just adore pies...fruit pies to be exact. Strawberry rhubarb, apple, cherry, peach, blueberry and most recently pear! I love the way the fruit bakes down and gives it's juices creating this gooey sticky goodness in the middle of a crust.

I've made one successful crust in my 31 years. One! The stars aligned and the gods smiled down...I thought I had conquered the great crust mystery...but as soon as it came, it went. I have not been able to recreate that flaky buttery goodness since. Luckily, store bought pie crusts aren't too bad! They are my saving grace.

Without further ado - the recipe for this year's birthday pie:

LATTICE PEAR PIE with BROWN BUTTER

8 ripe pears
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tbsp butter
1 vanilla bean, split with insides scrapped out
2 tbsp flour
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 tsp salt
2 prepared pie crusts
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add vanilla bean to butter and cook until butter is browned - about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, discard vanilla bean and set aside. Slice pears into a large bowl. Add lemon juice, brown sugar, flour, raisins and salt and stir to combine. Add browned butter mixture to pears and gently stir to combine.

Prepare your pie dish...roll out first crust and lay on the bottom of the pie dish. Fill dish with pear mixture. Roll out second crust on a lightly floured surface, and create your lattice pattern. Go here for step-by-step instructions, or just fake it, like I did. (It'll taste good all the same!) Crimp edges, brush crusts with milk and lightly sprinkle sugar over the top. Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown. If the crust browns too quickly, simply drape foil over the pie.

Serve hot with a little french vanilla ice cream, or as Nathan calls it "a la mote." Yep, you read that right. I've corrected him a thousand times, but it makes no difference.

Happy Birthday to me!

I can not believe how yummy this filling came out! The brown butter lent a wonderful nuttiness, and the raisins plumped up making a nice contrast between with the grainy texture of the pears. I left the skin (red) on the pears, instead of peeling them because I wanted that pretty punch of color. It was such a different and decadent summertime treat.