Caramel Pear Lattice Pie

Ain’t nothing like an all-American Apple Pie. But you’ll have to go to your Yankee Auntie to get that recipe. Not that I’m un-American or against apple pie. It’s just that I grew up surrounded by Eastern European intonations and Old Country cooking. (When my father speaks, Hubby just smiles and nods, pretending to understand.) I do a great Caramel Pear Lattice Pie, though. Don’t worry, I won’t make you start from scratch. Amazing what you can do with store-bought crust once you let it defrost and style it to your liking. If you don’t want to mess around weaving a lattice, don’t! I say if you don’t feel like weaving, you should not have to weave. I know it’s a revolutionary thought. But there, I said it! You should feel empowered to do what you like with your crust. You could just lay it over the filling with a few slits, or do a fake weave: place half the strips vertically and half the strips horizontally on top to look like a weave. Or just use cookie cutters to make nice shapes (kids love to do this) and place them on top of your filling. SO, as I was saying, this filling ain’t apples. I use pears ‘cuz I like to be different. But not too different – I’m keeping it traditional with cinnamon; but instead of nutmeg, let’s go cardamom (just because I like how exotic that spice sounds, smells and tastes). Slather caramel sauce on the base crust, top with the pear mixture, and then top with your creative crust of choice. For a nice little down-home, diner-style finish – after brushing your crust with egg wash, sprinkle it with turbinado sugar. You’re gonna love me for that sweet little touch!