This recipe didn't work out so well for me. I think there are things that could be done to make it work better. But I'm still not sure I'd really like it. Which is a shame, because it looks and smells wonderful. I'm just not a big fan of the flavour or the texture.

First off, the cardamom was completely overpowering. The recipe called for 1/4 tsp. of ground cardamom, so I ground 1/4 tsp. of cardamom seeds. It completely overwhelmed all the other flavours. I couldn't really taste the vanilla or the pear, just cardamom. And, much like ginger, I don't generally like cardamom when it's front and centre. I don't mind it as a component, but I dislike it as the primary flavour. So that already has this recipe off to a bad start. I'd cut the cardamom down to 1/8 tsp. next time.

The pears also seemed to have dried out a bit on top during baking. The very top layer was a bit leathery. The original recipe was for a galette, so that would've covered some of the filling, but the middle still would've been open and prone to drying out. I think I might try it with a lattice top if I did it again. Don't know if that'd still be too open to protect it from drying or not.

And I feel like the fruit could've done with more cooking too. The filling didn't get as soft and easy-to-cut as I would've liked. I sliced them nice and thin. And I wouldn't've wanted to have left it in the oven any longer as the pastry would've started to burn. But the pears were still a bit firm for my taste. Not sure what to do there. I guess I could try pre-cooking the filling, but I'm not sure how that would work out with an uncooked crust. Maybe the answer is to start the oven high and then turn it down after the first 10 minutes or so? That way the high temp crisps the crust and gives it that kick-start while the lower temperature allows it to stay in the oven for longer without burning, giving the pears time to cook through. That's the theory anyway. If I end up making this again, I'll give it a try and see how it works out.

I'm not going to bother trying to reproduce what I did below since I wasn't happy with the results. Instead I'll write up what I would do if I was going to make this again. (Caveat emptor and all that jazz: I haven't actually tested these modifications yet.)

Pear Pie

Adapted from Serious Eats

Ingredients

• 1 recipe sweet shortcrust pastry
• 1 vanilla bean
• 40g-50g (vanilla) sugar
• 20g tapioca starch
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. 5-spice powder
• 1/8 tsp. cardamom seeds (from green pods), ground
• 735g sliced pears
• 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp. cream (anywhere from 10-35% should be fine)
• 1 Tbsp. (vanilla) sugar

Directions

1. Scrape seeds from vanilla pod and add to bowl. (Save empty pod for another use.)
2. Add sugar, tapioca starch, salt, 5-spice, and cardamom to vanilla and mix well.
3. Add pears and vinegar and toss to coat.
4. Place an empty baking sheet on middle oven rack and preheat to 425°F (220°C).
5. Roll out ~2/3 of the pastry to ~12-13" circle.
6. Transfer pastry to a 10" loose-bottom pie/tart tin. (Do not trim edges yet.)
7. Dust pastry shell with a small amount of flour.
8. Roll out remaining pastry ensuring that it is at least 10" in at least one dimension.
9. Cut strips from pastry to make a lattice. You'll probably need 10-12 strips of varying lengths depending on how wide you make them and how much space you leave in the lattice.
10. Weave your lattice leaving a slight overhang at the edge of the tin. (I find it easiest to work from the middle out.)
11. Press down all around the edge of the tin. This should work to both trim the pastry and seal the top lattice to the bottom crust.
12. Combine egg, egg yolk, and cream and mix well.
13. Brush top of pie with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
14. Place on hot baking sheet on middle oven rack.
15. Bake at 425°F (220°C) for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F (180°C) and bake for an additional 40 minutes or until crust is desired done-ness and pears have softened.
16. Let cool in tin for 10 minutes before transferring to serving plate.