Blueberry Pear Pie and Tartlets

In my office we  have a fun tradition to celebrate Pi Day on March 14 (3.14) by eating Pie! This year we had about 30 pies to sample. I've seen a lot of hyperactive people around the office. I attribute it to the sugar shock. We started sampling pies at 8:30 a.m. and the celebration continued throughout the day.

I made a blueberry pear pie with a lemony twist using a Russian recipe. It's flavorful and very fruity. I've also made individual tartelettes using the same method. They came out very cute!

Crust

• 1/2 stick butter, softened
• zest from 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• butter for greasing
  

Filling

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 tbsp flour
• 2 egg yokes
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• juice from 1/2 lemon
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4-5 pears, peeled, seeded, cored, sliced
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries
• powdered sugar

Let's make the dough for the crust first!

Combine softened butter, lemon zest, and sugar. Use a fork or a whisk to make the mixture even. Add egg and lemon juice and mix everything well. Add flour and baking powder. Mix everything well with your hands making a ball of soft dough. 

Grease a 9-inch pie pan with some softened butter. Press the dough into the pan creating 1- inch edges. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Now let's work on the filling.. 

In a small sauce pan combine sugar, flour, egg yokes, vanilla, lemon juice, and milk. Mix everything well. Heat the mixture on medium while constantly stirring. Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute while continuing to stir. It's important to make sure you don't boil the mixture for more than a minute.

Baking... get ready for delicious smells!

Preheat your oven to 350F. Once your crust has been in the fridge for 30 minutes, take it out. Arrange pear slices in layers on the bottom of the pie crust. Put the pie in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, take the pie out. Arrange the blueberries over the pears. Pour the filling over the pears and blueberries. Bake at 350F for 25-30 more minutes.

Cool the pie before serving. Sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar over the pie. Enjoy!

*** Use the same method if you decide to prepare tartlets. I used the mini cupcake form and pressed the dough into the mini cupcake pan, and it worked great! Make sure you slice your pears into much smaller pieces if you decide to go this route.