This pie encapsulates the quintessence of early fall. Bringing together the freshness of pear, the warmth of autumnal spices and the sunny taste of sweet clover, it comes dangerously close to the perfect dessert.

It must be said from the outset: this is a crumble pie. That is to say, instead of being covered with a second layer of dough, it is topped with an oat and pecan crumble which adds flavor and texture.

The inspiration behind this tart comes from a combination of flavors that particularly struck us (and we do try a lot of them): that of pear and sweet clover. The delicacy and freshness of the pear are enhanced by the floral and warm scent of sweet clover.

To this pairing of flavors, we add autumn spices: cardamom, nutmeg and allspice, as well as boreal spices: dune pepper and sweet gale. And of course, we can't talk about pie without a good dose of butter! If you have some on hand, we also suggest adding a little whiskey and cocktail bitters to the pear mixture for added flavor.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

Makes one pie, baked in a 10-inch-diameter deep plate.

For the pie crust:

1 and 1/3 cup (180 g) flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp kosher salt (kosher salt is less salty than traditional table salt – adjust the amount downward if using traditional salt)
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter

For the pear filling:

6-7 ripe pears, thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
juice of a lemon
2 tbsp white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
about 1/2 inch piece of grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger)
2 tbsp powdered sweet clover
1/4 tsp allspice
4 cardamom pods, ground, pod removed
a pinch of grated or ground nutmeg
3 dune pepper catkins, ground
5 sweet gale catkins, ground
1/2 tsp kosher salt (less if using table salt)
1 tbsp whiskey (optional)
2 dashes of Amer Kebek black walnut bitters (optional)

For the crumble:

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tsp powdered sweet clover
a pinch of salt
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

Prepare the dough: mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
Cut the butter into six rectangular pieces and place them in the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix to coat the pieces with butter.
Empty the contents of the bowl onto a clean surface and roll the pieces of butter with a rolling pin until they are flattened. They should look like long, soft strips. Use a pastry scraper to remove them from the work surface or rolling pin if necessary.
Combine all the strips and flour in the center of the work surface in a small pile and pour in 4 tbsp. of very cold water on it.
Mix with your hands and the pastry scraper, then, as soon as the water is well distributed in the dough, make a rectangular “pile”. Roll this dough with a rolling pin until you obtain a rectangle whose smallest side will be approximately 8 inches, then fold the dough in 3 like a letter. At this point, the dough will be very inconsistent and will look very crumbly; it's normal.
Using the scraper, turn the rectangle a quarter turn and roll and fold again. Pick up any stray dough scraps and return them to the main pile as needed. You can add flour to the surface and the rolling pin if the dough tends to stick.
Turn the rectangle of dough a quarter turn and roll and fold a third time. The dough should start to be more consistent with drier, crumbly ends. By taking a piece of dough in your hand, you should see that it is roughly holding together. If not, twist, roll and fold again.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, then flatten it into a compact disc about 1 inch thick. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the garnish. Place the sliced pears in a large bowl with the lemon juice and white sugar. Let rest for 20 minutes. Next, add the brown sugar, sweet clover and spices, cornstarch, and the whiskey and bitters if using them. Mix everything.
Prepare the crumble. In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar and salt. Add the cold butter pieces, then work the butter into the mixture with your fingers until the butter pieces are about the size of peas, or smaller. Add the pecans and mix.
Remove the dough from the fridge and roll out the chilled dough until it is about 1/8 inch thick. Do not hesitate to flour the surface and the rolling pin abundantly to prevent the dough from sticking. When it is ready, wrap it around the floured roll to raise it and place it in the pie plate. Cut off the excess dough and pinch the edges with three fingers to create a regular pattern.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit. Prepare a baking tray (in case the pie overflows).
Fill the pie with the pear filling, then add a generous layer of crumble. Place the pie on the baking sheet.
Bake on the center rack for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375 F and cook for 30 minutes more.
Remove from the oven and let cool for 3 hours before serving to allow the juices to temper and thicken.