SPICED PEAR BUTTER AND CREAM CHEESE PIE

SPICED PEAR BUTTER AND CREAM CHEESE PIE

I’ve never made a secret about my love for a certain book and the movie adaptations by American Author, Louisa May Alcott.  In fact, the 1994 adaptation with Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Kirsten Dunst, Trini Alverado, and several other screen luminaries, is one of my favorite films in general.  To say that it has had an influence on my life would be a fair understatement.  Little Women has been a regular favorite (if not usual) sewing movie, and watched so many times throughout the last 13 years that a certain cousin and I have been known to be driving on car trips, and are almost able to completely recite the lines of the film by heart, verbatim. 

In the film version in question, Jo March (Winona Ryder), befriends Theodore “Laurie” Lawrence, the neighbor boy next door.  Through the course of their friendship, they establish a birdhouse in the hedge between their two homes as a “post box” for exchanging letters between Laurie and the March sisters.  In one clip, Jo checks the post box during the winter, to find an extra special gift:  A Pear.

An old friend of mine, my proverbial Jo, and I have a tendency to surprise each other with special little treats, notes, or gifts from time to time as signs of our long-standing friendship.  So, as a sign of friendship to those that read this blog, I’m giving you MY Pear!  I hope you enjoy this wonderful pie as much as I (and my family) did! 

SPICED PEAR BUTTER AND CREAM CHEESE PIE:

Pear Butter:

·         20 Pears

·         ¾ Cups Sugar

·         1 tsp. Cinnamon

·         1/8 tsp. Cloves

·         1/8 tsp. Ginger

·         ¼ Cup Currants (Optional)

Wash, peel, core, and chop pears. Puree in a blender. Put the pear puree, sugar and spices into a crock pot (4 quarts or larger), and set on high. Cook uncovered for 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally, until mixture is the consistency of an apple sauce or reduced by half. Turn off heat, removing pear mixture into a separate bowl.  Refrigerate overnight until mixture has thickened. Once cooled, stir in currants.

Cream Cheese:

·         1 (8 oz.) package Neufchatel cheese or light cream cheese, softened

·         2 Tbs. Lemon Juice

·         1/2 tsp. Lemon Peel

·         1/4 Cup plus 2 Tbs. Powdered Sugar

Beat Neufchatel cheese at low speed of electric mixer until fluffy and smooth. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel and powdered sugar. Beat at low speed until blended. Cover & refrigerate.

Topping:

·         ½ Cup Sliced Almonds

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 475 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the pear butter and the cream cheese mixture.  Pour mixture into an unbaked pie crust, covering surface with almond slices, and bake for 15 minutes.  Reduce temperature to 350 degrees.  Bake for 40 minutes until mixture is slightly bubbly.  Cool to room temperature before serving.