Pear and Pistachio Pie

Directions

• Cardamom Stewed Pear Filling
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the pears and seasonings and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook the mixture until the moisture is released and the pears have softened, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.
• Pistachio Filling
• Pulse the pistachios in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add the egg, sugar, butter, cardamom, vanilla, and salt and puree until a thick puree forms, similar to grainy hummus in consistency. Set aside.
• Pistachio Crust
• Grease a 9-inch pie pan and set it aside. Pulse the pistachios in a blender or food processor until finely chopped, but *not* a paste. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, cardamom and chopped pistachios until combined. Using a box grater, grate the butter using the large hole setting of the grater above the bowl, stopping to stir and coat the butter bits in the flour mixture every 10 seconds or so. When all the butter is in, pinch the mixture together with your fingertips until it resembles the texture of damp sand. Add the water, a tablespoon at a time, mixing it with a fork, until the dough just holds together when you squeeze a fistful of it in your hand.
• Divide the dough into two portions, one slightly larger than the other (about ⅓ vs ⅔). Pat the smaller portion into a rough circle shape, cover it, and place it in the refrigerator. Roll out the larger quantity of dough until it is ¼-inch thick and transfer it to the greased pie pan. Press the crust into the pan, trim off the excess leaving a 1-inch overhang. Fold the 1-inch overhang under the edge of the crust all the way around. Cover and place the pan in the refrigerator.
• Roll out the smaller quantity of dough until it is ¼-inch thick, and use cookie cutters, pie cutters, or a pie top pastry cutter to cut decorative shapes out of the top of the pie, taking care to keep the cut-outs in the center of the pie crust, and not along the edges. Cover and set aside for a moment.
• Sliced Pear Filling + Assembly
• Cut the stem off the pear. Using a *very* sharp knife, cut the pear vertically into the thinnest slices you possibly can (this can be made easier if you have a mandolin and cut the pear vertically in half, and then start cutting off of the cut side on the mandolin to get very thin slices).
• Now you can start assembling the pie (yay!) Take the pie pan out of the refrigerator and uncover it. Spread the pistachio paste in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. Distribute the stewed pears in an even layer on top of the pistachios. Sprinkle the flour, sugar, and cinnamon evenly over the stewed pears. Place the thinly sliced pears on top of that, fanning them out in a circle so they overlap slightly and cover the top of the stewed pears.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and the milk. Lightly brush the exposed crust on the pan with the egg wash. Now transfer the decorative top crust onto the pie, and press together on the edges of the top and bottom crusts to secure them together (if you’re using an un-ruffled pie dish, you can pinch the edges for a more decorative look). Brush the exposed crust with the egg wash, cover, and place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet (this makes it easier to get the pan in and out of the oven without accidentally damaging the crust), and place it in the oven. Bake until the center crust is lightly golden, about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, covering the edges with tin foil if needed to keep them from over-browning (the crust edges will brown faster than the center crust). Allow to cool for 30 minutes before slicing and serving.