Bruised Pear Pandowdy
By Tested and perfected in the Sur la Table kitchen
Bruised Pear Pandowdy
By Tested and perfected in the Sur la Table kitchen
Yield/Serves:
Makes 10 servings
- Crust:
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for board
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes
- ⅓ cup cold buttermilk, plus more for brushing on crust
- Filling and assembly:
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling on crust
- 2 tablespoons water
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
- 12 ripe Bartlett pears, cored, roughly chopped
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- Vanilla ice cream, for serving
In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and cut into small pieces with your fingers or a fork until butter is the size of chickpeas.
Add buttermilk. Using a fork or wooden spoon, mix to form a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a floured work surface and gently knead into a large ball. Divide into two balls (this will make it easier to roll out later), wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
When ready to bake, heat oven to 400°F. Grease a 4-quart baking dish.
Add sugar and water to a large skillet over high heat. Bring to a boil, swirling to dissolve sugar, until syrup darkens and becomes caramel-colored, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter (mixture will seize, just keep whisking until smooth). Add pears, lemon zest, juice, flour and salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until pears soften. Remove from heat and pour into baking dish. Let cool.
Flour a work surface and roll out both crusts to ¼-inch thickness. Cut or tear dough into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Arrange crust over pears, overlapping pieces slightly. Brush with a little buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking, until golden brown and bubbling. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving
Add buttermilk. Using a fork or wooden spoon, mix to form a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a floured work surface and gently knead into a large ball. Divide into two balls (this will make it easier to roll out later), wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
When ready to bake, heat oven to 400°F. Grease a 4-quart baking dish.
Add sugar and water to a large skillet over high heat. Bring to a boil, swirling to dissolve sugar, until syrup darkens and becomes caramel-colored, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and whisk in butter (mixture will seize, just keep whisking until smooth). Add pears, lemon zest, juice, flour and salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, until pears soften. Remove from heat and pour into baking dish. Let cool.
Flour a work surface and roll out both crusts to ¼-inch thickness. Cut or tear dough into 2- to 3-inch pieces. Arrange crust over pears, overlapping pieces slightly. Brush with a little buttermilk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating pan halfway through baking, until golden brown and bubbling. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving
- Notes:
- No need to be precise in the shape of the crust here. You will be tearing them into pieces anyways!
- Freeze and grate your butter on the large holes of a box grater. Simply stir into dry ingredients and add your buttermilk.
- Add a shot (or two) of apple brandy or cognac to the pears for a grown-up twist.