Brandied Sour Cherry and Pear Pie A big splash of brandy marries the medley of sour cherries and pears. By Recipe by Ian Knauer Updated on July 23, 2018 Print Share Share Tweet Pin Email Hands On Time: 60 mins Total Time: 2 hrs Servings: 12 Jump to Nutrition Facts Ingredients 1 ½ pound firm ripe pears (about 3) 2 cup dried tart red cherries (10 oz.) ½ cup brandy ½ cup water 3 tablespoon sugar 2 tablespoon cornstarch 1 baked All-Butter Piecrust All-Butter Piecrust 3 ¾ cup all-purpose flour 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces ¾ cup cold water Directions Peel, halve, and core pears. Cut pears into a 1/4-inch dice, then combine with cherries, brandy, sugar, cornstarch, and 1/2 cup water in a heavy 3-qt. pot. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until thick, stirring frequently. Transfer filling to a shallow dish; cool and chill. Before serving, spoon filling into piecrust. All-Butter Piecrust In a large bowl whisk together flour and 11/2 tsp. kosher salt. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, work butter into flour mixture until butter is bean-size. Stir in 3/4 cup of the water, a few tablespoons at a time. Squeeze a small handful of dough. If dough is still crumbly, stir in the remaining water, 1 Tbsp. at a time. For Ian’s mixing method: Turn dough out in a mound on a work surface. Starting with a quarter of the mixture, smear that section of the dough with the palm of your hand, pushing away from the mound. Repeat with remaining dough sections. Gather the dough into a ball, divide into thirds, wrap in plastic wrap, and press each into a round disk. Chill 30 to 60 minutes. Using a floured rolling pin on a generously floured surface, roll one portion of dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate and trim to 1/2 inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold extra dough under, even with the pie plate edge; press it together. Flute as desired. Prick the bottom and sides of dough several times with a fork. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line dough with a double thickness of foil; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake about 20 minutes or until sides are golden and firm. Remove weights and foil; bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until the bottom is golden. Cool completely on wire rack. Makes three 9-inch piecrusts. If you don't use all three of these baked crusts, freeze the extras to use later. Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 278 Calories 8g Fat 44g Carbs 2g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 12 Calories 278 % Daily Value * Total Fat 8g 10% Saturated Fat 5g 25% Cholesterol 20mg 7% Sodium 88mg 4% Total Carbohydrate 44g 16% Total Sugars 27g Protein 2g Vitamin C 7.6mg 38% Calcium 20mg 2% Iron 0.9mg 5% Potassium 182mg 4% Folate, total 31mcg Vitamin B-12 0mcg Vitamin B-6 0mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.