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Walnut Pastry

Filling

Preparation

Walnut Pastry Dough

Put the walnut pieces in a food processor. Add about half the sugar, and grind finely. Sift the flour on to a work surface, add the ground walnut and sugar mixture, then make a large well in the center of the ingredients. Using the rolling pin, pound the butter to soften it slightly.

Put the egg, remaining sugar, butter, salt, and ground cinnamon into the well. With your fingertips, work the ingredients in the well until they are all thoroughly mixed together. Draw in the flour, working it into the other ingredients with your fingers, until coarse crumbs form.

Press the dough gently into a ball. It should be quite soft, but if it is too sticky, add a little more flour. Sprinkle the work surface lightly with flour. Knead the dough for 1–2 minutes, until it is very smooth and peels away from the work surface in one piece. Shape into a smooth ball, wrap tightly, and chill for 1 hour, until firm.

Pan Lining

Gently press the dough into the bottom of the pan. Roll the rolling pin over the top, pressing down to cut off excess dough. Add the trimmings to the reserved portion of dough and return to the refrigerator. With your thumbs, press the dough evenly up the pan side to increase the height of the crust. Chill for about 1 hour, until very firm.

Pear Preparation

Squeeze the juice from the lemon. Peel the pears with a vegetable peeler. Using the tip of a small knife, cut out the stem and blossom ends from each pear. Pear Pie with Walnut Pastry

Cut each pear into quarters, then scoop out the central stalks and cores with a small knife, being sure to remove all the hard fibers and working gently to keep the pear quarters intact.

Put the pear wedges into a bowl. Add the black pepper and the lemon juice. Toss until the pear wedges are coated. The lemon juice will stop the fruit from discoloring.

Bake

Shaking off any excess lemon juice, arrange the pear wedges evenly in a cartwheel pattern on the bottom of the crust. Roll out the remaining dough into a 10in (25cm) round; stamp out a 2in (5cm) round from the center, using a cutter or a glass as a guide. This will provide very crisp crust and allow a tantalizing glimpse into the pie filling.

Wrap the dough around the rolling pin, and drape it carefully over the pear wedges. With a small sharp knife, trim the top round even with the filled pastry shell, using the pan as a guide. Press the dough edges together firmly with the back of a fork to seal the top and bottom of the crust together.

Brush the top of the pie with water and sprinkle evenly with the sugar. Chill the pie until firm; it should take about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Heat a baking sheet in the oven. Put the pie on the baking sheet so the heat starts to cook the pastry base immediately, and bake the pie until the pastry is browned, and the pears are tender when pierced with a metal skewer, 35–40 minutes. If the top crust threatens to burn before the pie is ready, cover it loosely with foil and continue to bake until the fruit is completely tender.