This week’s recipe was inspired by the cold, rainy weather, and the abundance of pears and raspberries at the farmers’ market. It also happened on the weekend, before I decided that sugar and I should probably see a little less of each other. Having said that, there’s only a little coconut sugar in this recipe, which I added in to balance out the tart of the berries and lemon.

Pear and Raspberry Heart Pies

What do I need?
2 sheets of ready rolled pastry {source gluten-free here}
6 firm ripe pears, roughly chopped {I leave the skin on but if you want a less textural filling, peel them before chopping}
1 cup of fresh raspberries
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice, to taste
1 tablespoon coconut {or any other raw sugar} to taste
1 tablespoon organic butter
Yolk of one egg, whisked

Now what do I do with it?
Pre heat oven to 180*C {350*F}.

Melt butter in skillet/pan over medium heat, add chopped pears and let simmer for five minutes or so. If you need any more liquid during this time, add a splash of water. You want your pears to soften but not go to mush. Add in nutmeg and lemon juice.

This is where you’ll want to taste to decide whether to add sweetener. Pies generally have grainy sugar added, so I chose to add coconut sugar to this recipe, but you could use an alternative sweetener to avoid sugar altogether. Remember the raspberries will add another element of tartness to the pie. Level of sweetness is such a personal thing I think!

Remove from heat and stir through raspberries until well combined.

{We had our heart-shaped sandwich cutter out drying so thought it might be fun to make little hand pies that shape. By doing this and making 5 hand pies, we had plenty of mixture left over, which we’re adding into gluten-free porridge and having with plain yoghurt.}

If using a shape, cut 2 pieces for each pie. Place the bottom sheets on a lined baking tray. Whisk egg yolk and brush outer edge of bottom pieces of pastry with the yolk. Spoon your pear and raspberry mixture into the middle of the piece of pastry, being careful not to overload it or your lid won’t fit on.

Place the top pieces of pastry on and wash the entire top piece with the egg yolk. Gently press edges down using the tip of a fork. Pierce the top piece of pastry 2 or 3 times and pop them in the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes {or until golden brown}. Watch them at the end, they may need a couple less or a couple more minutes depending on your oven. Golden brown can turn to charcoal in the blink of an eye and ain’t nobody’s taste buds got time for that disappointment!

Remove from oven and let cool slightly before enjoying on their own, or with a dollop of vanilla bean ice cream. Or yoghurt!

They’re tasty the next day too at room temperature.