Individual Pear Pies and Honey Roasted Pear Ice Cream

I'm going to be honest with you. Pears are not my favorite fruit. Something about the texture is just a little weird. Like... you're expecting it to be the same as an apple but its just not. 

I can get past that though when you make pears into a deliciously smooth ice cream OR if you cover them with a flaky crust and cinnamon OR if you do both at the same time to create the ultimate magical pear combo dessert. 

Yeah.

You should probably just do that ALL the time. 

I mean... how adorable does a pear look covered in crust for an individual pie? (Totally adorable is the correct answer. Just sayin')

Individual Pear Pies

Ingredients

Pie crust

(Here is our recipe for "never fail" pie crust - Jo and Sue's Pie Crust or you can use your favorite recipe or even *gasp* store bought)

Filling

Pears

lemon juice

cinnamon

Directions

Prepare pie crust as per directions and set aside to chill while you prepare filling.

Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet, set aside.

Prep pears by peeling and cutting in half and placing in a bowl. Sprinkle liberally with lemon juice to prevent browning. 

Using a knife or melon baller, Gently scoop out a circle where the seeds are. 

Sprinkle the pear with cinnamon and place face down on prepared cookie sheet. Sprinkle with more cinnamon, if desired.

Roll out pie dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut out a circle of dough large enough to cover a pear half. Gently press the dough over the pear half, molding it to its shape, folding any extra dough under the edges of the pear.

Repeat until all pears are covered. 

Cut one or two slits in the pear for steam to escape. If desired, cut leftover pie dough into leaf shapes and place under the top of the pear, lightly pressing it to attach.

Bake at 375 for 5 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake until pears are tender and crust is browned - about 30 - 40 minutes.

Let cool on tray for about 10 minutes before either serving or removing to wire rack to cool completely. (If you place in a wire rack to cool - be careful when you go to remove the pies as they may stick a little to the wire. Just use a spatula to loosen and then lift. If the leaves become detached - simply lay them back in place when you go to serve.) 

Of course.... you could just eat the pie and call it a day. 

But.... why not put this dessert completely over the top and whip up the honey roasted pear ice cream? Trust me... no one will be upset with you for doing so. 

Honey Roasted Pear Ice Cream

Ingredients

4 medium sized pears

2 Tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup honey

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 cups whipping cream

1 cup half and half cream

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

pinch sea salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 425. Line a cookie sheet (with sides!) with tin foil and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.

Peel the pears and cut into about 1/2 inch slices. Place in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice. 

Spread the pears on the prepared cookie sheet and drizzle with the honey. 

Bake about 15 minutes, stirring once or twice, until pears are tender.  (Do NOT skip roasting the pears. It brings out the mild flavor of the pears and makes the ice cream outstanding!) Place pears and pan juices into a blender (or food processor). Add in the cinnamon and process until smooth. 

Add to the blender the whipping cream, half and half cream, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt. 

Process until smooth - about 1 to 2 minutes. 

Pour mixture in to a bowl and chill completely - at least 2 to 3 hours. 

When chilled, pour into ice cream canister and process according to manufacturers directions.

Keep frozen until ready to serve.

Now. What you reeeeaallllly want to do is pair the ice cream with the pies.

Seeeeeeeeee?

So. Much. Better. 

You may have noticed I didn't put measurements for the pies. This is because you can do as many or as few pies as needed. I believe I got 8 pies from 1/3 of our Pie crust recipe (HERE) 

Fancy enough for company, easy enough for everyday. 

Be sure to pop by Carole's Chatter for more fun links!