Gingered Pear and Raspberry Pandowdy

As a new cook, this became one of my first go-to recipes. A Pandowdy is a kind of spiced apple pie, baked in a deep dish, with a biscuit top crust and no bottom crust. This recipe is adapted from the one on Epicurious.com.

Ingredients

1 Tbl unsalted butter, at room temperature, for pan

Fruit Filling

1/2 cup (3.5 oz) granulated sugar
2 Tbl plus 1 tsp cornstarch
Pinch of fine sea salt
4 large pears, peeled, cored, and sliced (2 lbs prepped)
1 Tbl freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups (9 oz) raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 Tbl cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Biscuit

1.75 cups (8.75 oz) all-purpose flour
4 Tbl (1.75 oz) granulated sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
10 Tbl (5 oz) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/3 cup (2 oz) chopped candied ginger
2/3 cup plus 1 Tbl cold buttermilk

Method

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400° F. Butter a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.
2. Rub the sugar, cornstarch, and salt together in a large bowl, then add the pears and lemon juice and toss until evenly coated.
3. Gently fold in the raspberries, then transfer the fruit to the prepared pan.
4. Distribute the butter atop the fruit.
5. To make the biscuit, whisk the flour, 3 Tbl sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl.
6. Add the butter and toss until evenly coated. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the size of large peas.
7. Stir in the candied ginger, then pour in the 2⁄3 cup buttermilk and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
8. The dough will be crumbly, with large pieces of butter still visible. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently press the dough together, then press it into a 9-inch circle.
9. Carefully place the dough atop the fruit. Brush the dough with the 1 Tbl buttermilk,then sprinkle with the remaining 1 Tbl sugar.
10. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350° F and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden and the juices are bubbly and thick.

Serves 8 large portions

Approximately 560 calories per slice of Gingered Pear and Raspberry Pandowdy.