Tuesdays with Dorie BWD: Double-Pear Picnic Pie
October 28, 2025 at 7:08 pm | Posted in BWD, groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 5 CommentsTags: baking, pie
Even if it’s gotten too chilly for me to bring this Double-Pear Picnic Pie to the park for a long, lazy lunch spread out on a blanket, I do love the idea of a picnic pie. It’s really a slab pie– double-crusted, baked in a sheet tray– and only the second one I think I’ve baked (here’s the first). This has two layers of Sour Cream Pie Dough with a layer of “double-pear” (fresh and dried) filling in between. This filling is a bit trickier than an apple pie filling, in that a) fresh pears can take forever and a day to ripen, and b) dried pears are a bit of a niche item. During the six days my Bartlett pears sat in a paper bag on the counter, I had plenty of time to scour Brooklyn for dried pears. Finally, I found them at one of those bulk nut shops and brought home just a small quantity.
Assembly went fine, and I made a half-recipe in a little eighth size sheet tray. A couple of minutes after I put the pie in the oven, I had a bit of a freakout that I’d forgotten to put thickener in the pear filling. I checked over the recipe and there was no mention of any overlooked flour or cornstarch, so I breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe the marmalade in the filling helps thicken it? Maybe the slab format (thin layer of fruit, spread over a large surface area) allows for more moisture evaporation? I’m not sure, but the finished pie was anything but a hot mess. Just a few juicy burbles escaped the slits in the crust. By the following day, the crust had gotten a bit soft, but eaten with vanilla ice cream, I don’t think anyone cared.
If you don’t have the book Baking with Dorie: Sweet, Salty & Simple by Dorie Greenspan yet, get it and join us as we bake through it every second and fourth Tuesdays! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll and all the other participation deets over on Tuesdays with Dorie!
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Ah…the pears finally ripened!! The finished product is beautiful and I am sure from the looks of it..also delicious!!! Good job on scoring the dried pears…I have continued to look as I am out and about just out of curiosity and haven’t found them yet hahah!
Comment by isthisakeeper— November 7, 2025 #
Good to hear those pears finally came around, I was beginning to worry about their ability to perform. Your pie looks so beautiful and delicious…truly mouth-watering. I was wondering about a thickening agent as well but it all turned out perfectly. This will be a repeat before much longer.
Comment by Kayte Gerth— November 8, 2025 #
Your pie looks so good – that crunchy sugar on top is the best.
Comment by Cakelaw— November 9, 2025 #
I seem to be very behind in my comments. Yes pears take forever and a day, I had similar wait times. I cheated and did use Dorie’s pie dough. I was scared to try something new since pies are not always my forte.
Comment by Diane Zwang— November 14, 2025 #
Looks scrumptious! Finding dried pears is definitely a challenge. I did find a local shop that had them, but the quantity was too large. I do believe they have an online mail order option for future reference.
Comment by Judy— November 24, 2025 #