We look forward to our annual Fall Fair pie contest all summer long to taste the medley of flavors our community bakes up for the occasion! Folks enter their time- and taste-tested pies to be judged (kindly!) and sampled, and we get to reap the rewards of their careful work. This year’s winner, baked by Stacey Skoretz, is a Drunken Forager’s Fruit pie filled with BC bounty including pears, wine and grape juice. Delight your dinner guests with this recipe, and don’t be scared off by the two day prep period. It’s worth every bite!

Fall Fair 1st Place Pie (“Drunken” Forager’s Fruit Pie)

Recipe

Filling
• 12 lbs. nearly ripe pears – peeled
• 3 cups BC red wine
• 1 cup BC grape juice
• 4 cups sugar
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 3 star anise pods
• 1 vanilla bean – split
• 4 tbs. cornstarch mixed with 2 tbs. water
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries

Crust
• 1/2 lb. shortening
• 3 cups pastry flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tbs. vinegar
• Water
• Ice

Instructions

Day 1
1. Combine wine, juice, sugar, cinnamon, star anise and vanilla bean in pot. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add pears to mixture, ensuring they are covered. Poach for approximately 15-15 minutes. Cool and cover in fridge overnight.
2. Combine flour and shortening until mixture resembles pea size crumbs. In a separate bowl, combine egg and vinegar. Add enough water so total liquid volume is one cup. Add ice to cool. Combine just enough liquid to combine flour mixture into dough crumbs. Roll into a ball and refrigerate.
Day 2
3. Roll out crust, and use egg wash on edges. Blind bake at 400F and cool.
4. Remove pears from poaching liquid, and slice. Set aside.
5. Remove ~1.5 cups of poaching liquid, and add to a separate pot. Add cranberries and boil until soft. Drain cranberries and set aside. Once cool, add them to pears.
6. Boil cranberry wine liquid and reduce to one cup. Add cornstarch mixture, and boil until thick.
7. Pour cranberry & pear mixture into baked pie shell. Add the thickened liquid. Use pastry brush to glaze the top.
8. Chill and serve!
 

Pick up produce at any of our three weekly markets: Tuesdays 4-6:30PM at the UBC Farm, Wednesdays 11:30AM-1:30PM at the UBC Bookstore, and Saturdays 10AM-2PM at UBC Farm. Learn more about our produce and browse other recipes in our Market Recipe Blog. Recieve regular market recipes from our newsletter here.