Pear Gruyère Pie

Two weeks to college moves. Packing this week. Tyler is methodical. Justin is chaotic. I am managing both.

Drove Monday-Tuesday.

Dave's surgery prep appointments began. Pre-op labs Friday. He is fine.

Gayle had a harder Thursday. Oxygen needed for an hour. Recovered. Stable Friday onward.

Book two galleys — almost-final printed pages — came Friday. I am reading them this weekend.

Sunday: chicken pot pie.

I had written “chicken pot pie” on the Sunday plan, but when I finally stood in the kitchen with everything that week had carried — the boys’ boxes half-packed, Dave’s pre-op appointments behind us, Gayle’s hard Thursday still sitting in my chest — I wanted something that felt a little more like a gift than a task. This Pear Gruyère Pie caught my eye because it sits right at the edge of seasons the way I felt that week did: sweet and warm and slightly unexpected, the kind of thing you make when you need the kitchen to feel like yours for an hour.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 50 min | Total Time: 1 hr 15 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 refrigerated pie crust (or homemade, enough for a 9-inch double crust)
5 medium ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese, divided
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
1 teaspoon coarse sugar (optional, for topping)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 400°F. Place one pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate and press gently into the edges. Set aside.
Make the filling. In a large bowl, toss sliced pears with lemon juice. Add sugar, flour, nutmeg, and salt and stir until evenly coated. Fold in 3/4 cup of the shredded Gruyère.
Layer the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup Gruyère over the bottom of the unbaked crust before adding the filling — this creates a barrier that keeps the crust from going soggy.
Fill the pie. Spoon the pear mixture evenly into the crust. Dot the top with butter pieces.
Top the pie. Place the second crust over the filling. Trim and crimp the edges to seal. Cut several small slits in the top crust to allow steam to vent. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar if using.
Bake. Bake at 400°F for 45–50 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling through the vents. Tent loosely with foil after 30 minutes if the crust is browning too quickly.
Cool before slicing. Let the pie rest on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before cutting so the filling has time to set.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pear Gruyère Pie — A Sunday in the Middle of Everything