Willpower people.
In truth, this was going to be an apple-pumpkin marzipan pie. Then I saw these gorgeous red pears in the market and damn near lost my mind.
These juicy ruby red lovelies added a sweet pear flavor layer instead of a tart apple taste. By the way, there is plenty of sweetness going on in this pie.
Those things that look like bread cubes on top of the pie are actually toasted marzipan pieces. Yep. Sweet, toasty and crunchy. Toasted marzipan is my new favorite Fall word combination.
All the flavors work together for unusual sweet deliciousness. And the pie looks so pretty too. This Red Pear Pumpkin Marzipan Pie is a fantastic Thanksgiving pie suggestion. It serves 12 people. Make a few days ahead and keep it in the fridge. Bring to room temperature or heat before serving.
Red Pear Pumpkin Marzipan Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 9 tablespoons extremely cold unsalted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white granulated sugar divided into 1/2 cups
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 egg
Filling:
- 14 oz piece of fresh pumpkin pie variety
- 3 red pears
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
- 1 cup light cream
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 8 oz marzipan recipe follows
Instructions
Make the crust:
-
Cut the butter into pieces and place in the freezer at least 10 minutes before using.
-
Grease and flour a 10" pie or tart pan and set aside.
-
Whisk together the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, nutmeg and salt.
-
Add one egg to the dry ingredients and the butter and knead into a smooth dough.
-
Roll out the dough into a circle on a lightly floured surface, transfer to the pan and press the dough evenly up the sides of the pan. Place the dough-lined pan into the freezer.
Make the filling:
-
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
-
Cut the pumpkin into sections. Cut away the stringy fiber and seeds from the flesh.
-
Peel the skin off of the pumpkin sections and cut each section into 2" long slices.
-
Quarter and core the pears. Cut each quarter into sections length-wise.
-
Remove the pie shell from the freezer and use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the shell.
-
Lay the pumpkin and pear pieces in the shell and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
-
Whisk 3 eggs with the 1/2 cup sugar, Pure vanilla extract, and lemon zest.
-
Fold in the cream.
-
Mix in the pumpkin pie spice.
-
Cut the marzipan into small pieces.
-
Remove the pie from the oven and evenly tuck the marzipan pieces into the pie shell among the apple and pumpkin slices.
-
Pour the cream mixture over the top and place the pan back in the oven.
-
Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.
-
Remove from the oven and let cool completely before slicing and serving.
Homemade Marzipan Recipe
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup blanched ground almonds**
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon rosewater
- 1 tablespoon egg white
- Light corn syrup and extra powdered sugar to adjust consistency if needed
- ** Blanching almonds Instructions below
Instructions
-
If you are using almond flour, skip the next two steps.
-
**To blanch raw almonds, boil them in water for one minute, rinse immediately in a colander with cold water and squeeze the skins off with your fingers. They will slip off easily.
-
Pulse the blanched almonds and a tablespoon of powdered sugar in a food processor until they are completely pulverized. The powdered sugar will prevent the almonds from becoming a paste.
-
Add the powdered sugar to the food processor and pulse until the almond meal and powdered sugar are combined. I like to take out the blade and use a whisk to break up any lumps that have formed and then replace the blade and pulse a few more times.
-
Add the pure almond extract and the rosewater and pulse until combined.
-
Add the egg white and pulse until the mixture becomes smooth.
-
Remove the mixture from the processor. If the mixture is too wet and sticky, sprinkle powdered sugar over the mixture a bit at a time to knead it in and make the marzipan stiffer. If the mixture is too dry, knead in a few drops of the light corn syrup.
-
Wrap tightly in plastic cling film, place in a ziplock bag to store.
Like this Red Pear Pumpkin Marzipan Pie? Check out these other seasonal dessert recipes:
PEAR BUTTERSCOTCH MARZIPAN STREUSEL CAKE
PUMPKIN PIE SPICE MACARONS WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE FILLING
WALNUT STREUSEL PUMPKIN PIE
