One penny a piece.
That’s what I got to pick up pears in our yard when I was a child growing up on the farm. See, we used to have a big ‘ole pear tree right outside our back door. It was huge. So huge you could never pick the pears even if you wanted to. They would ripen at dizzying heights then fall onto the yard, sidewalk and patio where bees, thousands of bees, would alight them and drink their sweet nectar. Of course, that’s the romantic view of it.
The reality went something like this.
“Cherise! Danielle! Could you please clean up the pears? The wheelbarrow is out back. You can dump them down in the gully below the house … be careful. Don’t get stung!” My sister and I would gingerly pick up rotten and foul-smelling fruit, slick with bruises and host to five or ten bees each. We would throw them into the wheelbarrow and trudge around the pastures to dump it into the ravine. It was hard, dirty, dangerous work. 😉
So … I hated pears. I really hated pears. When that tree came down I was none too sad about it.
The hatred has worn off over the years to the point of planting two pear trees of my own a couple years ago. I have a Bartlett pear tree (the same kind of tree I grew up with because, aren’t we all trying to grasp at nostalgia in some way?) and an Asian pear tree, neither of which are planted anywhere near our house, sidewalk or patio.
These pears are not from my own trees, but they still make an amazing galette. I wanted to take advantage of the plethora of pear varieties available at this time of year. I’ve been making galette since I called it a rustic pie. I didn’t even know what galette was! I love it because it doesn’t involve a pie crust that you have to get perfect. This pie is much more organic in the sense that you can make it any shape you want it to be and it will still be beautiful.
I filled this one with frangipane – something new for me. Walnuts, another love of mine, just got a little more interesting! I could eat the unbaked walnut frangipane straight out of the mixing bowl. It’s SO good! It’s like cookie batter but really nutty and sweet. It adds a wonderful layer of flavor to the pears and the crust.
And, what better to go with walnut and pears than caramel. I used this caramel and it’s amazing. But, if you’d rather skip it, top this pie with some fresh whipped cream and you’re good to go! The nutritional information was calculated without the optional toppings. 😉
[tasty-recipe id=”4205″]