Caramel Pear Pie

I am drawn to any recipe that has caramel - but the great news is, this pie is absolutely delicious even without the caramel topping. Pears are a great change of pace from apples for a pie with a "dutch" topping, and the caramel just takes it over the top. I've made it both with the caramel and without, though, and it gets gobbled up either way. (As you can see from the above picture, I drizzle EXTRA caramel over the pie and ice cream. I can't get enough caramel, much to my dentist's delight...)

Start by peeling, coring and slicing the pears.



Drizzle the lemon juice over the pears.



In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.



Pour over the pears



and stir carefully to coat all the pears with the sugar mixture. Let this stand for 15 minutes. In the meantime, combine the oats, brown sugar, flour and butter



in a small bowl and cut in to make streusel (just like in fruit crisp). Pour the pear mixture into the prepared pie shell



then top with the streusel mixture.



Bake the pie for 45 minutes. While it's baking, make the caramel topping by combining the caramels and milk in a small saucepan. (Opening these caramels is the most time-consuming part of this recipe! If you have little helpers, enlist their assistance!)



Put the saucepan over low heat and melt the caramels, stirring constantly. Add the chopped pecans (I just didn't have any on hand but I think it would be wonderful with them!) to the caramel sauce. After the pie has baked for 45 minutes, remove it from the oven and drizzle with the caramel.



Return to the oven and bake an additional 8-10 minutes until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly.



Get more ideas at Mouthwatering Monday, Tuesdays at the Table, Tasty Tuesday , Tempt my Tummy Tuesday and What's Cooking Wednesday.

Caramel Pear Pie

6 cups sliced, peeled ripe pears (about 6 medium)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inches)
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. cold butter, cubed
18 caramels
5 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup chopped pecans

In a large bowl, combine pears and lemon juice. In another bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to pears; stir gently. Let stand for 15 minutes.

Pour pears into pastry shell. In a bowl, combine the oats, flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over pears. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over low heat, melt caramels with milk. Stir until smooth; add pecans. Drizzle over pie. Bake 8-10 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Serves 6-8.