By Holy Week and I have been making the Easter cookies for days: kolaczki done, Russian tea cakes done, lemon tart assembled and in the fridge. The lemon tart is a new thing for the Easter table — lemon curd in a butter pastry shell, the curd made from scratch with eggs and butter and real lemon juice and zest. The first test batch was slightly too tart (said the person who thinks too tart is also fine) and the second batch was right. I am bringing both because I made both and they are both edible and it is Easter.
I went to Good Friday mass with Patty, which I have done most years since I was a child, and which is the service I find most meaningful in the liturgical year. Not Easter — Easter is the celebration. Good Friday is the honest part. I sat in the pew at St. Linus Church and looked at the altar where I had stood in June and thought about what the year between then and now has held, and what the year between now and some future Easter will hold, and I said the prayers in the particular half-present way you say prayers when you are praying and also thinking.
Ryan was at work for Good Friday and I texted him when I got home and said I was thinking about things. He said he was too. He said that from the firehouse, between calls, thinking about things. I said that is where you do it. He said yes. We are very good at being with each other from a distance when the distance is required. I think that is one of the specific skills a firefighter marriage requires.
One more day until Easter. The food is mostly ready. My grandmother is making pierogi at Patty house as we speak. The spring is here. This is the right season for whatever is coming.
The lemon tart is spoken for — both batches of it, the too-tart one and the right one — but I wanted to write down this creamy pear pie too, because it is the kind of thing you can make while you are also thinking about other things, while you are also saying half-present prayers, while you are also texting your husband at the firehouse. It is the right companion to a lemon tart: cool where the curd is bright, gentle where the citrus is assertive, a butter pastry shell holding something soft. This is the season for that kind of pairing.
Creamy Pear Pie
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 45 min + 2 hrs chilling | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 1 unbaked 9-inch butter pastry pie shell
- 1 (15 oz) can pear halves in juice, drained and patted dry (or 2 cups fresh pears, peeled and sliced)
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Blind bake the shell. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line the pie shell with parchment paper, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, prick the bottom lightly with a fork, and bake an additional 8–10 minutes until the crust is golden and dry. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
- Make the creamy filling. Beat the softened cream cheese with granulated sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt until completely smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Fold in the whipped topping gently until just combined — do not overmix.
- Slice the pears. If using canned pear halves, slice them into thin strips or quarter them lengthwise. Pat dry thoroughly so the filling doesn’t weep.
- Assemble the pie. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly into the cooled pie shell. Arrange the pear slices over the top in a pattern — fanned, layered, or simply scattered. Press them gently into the surface of the filling.
- Chill. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. The filling will firm up and the flavors will settle together.
- Serve. Slice cold. Dust lightly with extra cinnamon or a small spoon of whipped cream if you like. It keeps refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 310 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 31g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 195mg