Pear and Nutella pie

I’m in a bit of a hurry today – I had to go to Turre to order the Gammon for Christmas and whilst I was there went to one or two other good shops there.  It is half an hour away so I was gone for a couple of hours.  I rushed back to give our carpenter, Graham, lunch with Mick, have a quick tidy up and make supper for Graham’s family who are all joining us tonight.  I felt myself running out of time and so whenever that happens I make a pie for dessert – just always lovely, warming and cosy and dead easy.  Sometimes though I feel the need to make something up and so today have used pears rather than apples which for some reason, always get a bit forgotten in pies.  I just don’t know why though – once you have used them, I guarantee you will use them again – they are just divine, need little sugar and no pre cooking.

So here is my recipe for a pie to serve 6 large portions –you will knock it up in no time at all.

For the pastry

I always use more than recipes state as there never seems to be enough for the top otherwise!

12 oz plain flour

6 oz cold butter

Splash of water

Pinch of salt

If you have a food processor so much the better –my mum and sister have lovely cool hands – but not me and so a food processor is essential for me!

Put the flour, cubed butter and salt in the food processor and whiz it up until it becomes like breadcrumbs – then with the whizzer still going, pour in a little water at a time, not too much, until the mixture comes together to form a dough (about 2 or three tablespoons should be enough).

Then chill the dough for 20 minutes.

For the filling

6-8 pears (I like proper deep filled pies!)

Nutella chocolate spread put in the fridge

Ground Almonds

A bit of Demerara sugar

While the pastry is chilling, peel the pears, quarter them, core them and then slice each quarter into 2 or three slices and continue until they are all done.

Take a fluted flan tin with loose base, and brush with butter.  Pre heat oven to 220 degrees c, 425 f or gas mark 7.

Roll out your pastry on a surface dusted with icing sugar (better than flour for puds I think) Line your tin and let the pastry overlap.  Put in your pears and then scoop out some dessert spoons of Nutella from the fridge and blob over the fruit.  Sprinkle over some ground almonds (however much you think) and then scatter a little brown sugar.  Roll out the top, cover and push down around the sides.  Decorate with leaves, brush with milk and a little caster sugar.  Put on a highish shelf for ten minutes and then reduce the heat to 190 c, 375 f, gas mark 5 for around30 mins or until golden.

Dust with a little more castor sugar before serving with vanilla or chocolate ice cream.  Yum Yum.