Moraga Pear Pie

Adapted from The Great Book of Pears by Barbara Jeanne Flores.

Serves 6

This blue ribbon recipe comes from 82 year-old Jean Podell who won Moraga, California's pear recipe contest. The town, which was built in the last hundred years on Bartlett orchards, still has many producing trees along its bike trail and open spaces. In 1999, Moraga organized a community harvest and its first annual Moraga Pear Festival to celebrate its history.

• 1 unbaked prepared pie shell for open-face pie, or use 2 shells for a two-crust pie
• 5 to 6 large Bartlett pears to fill pie shell, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Fill the pie shell with the pear slices. For an open-face pie, arrange the slices in circular spirals. In a small bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, flour and eggs. Pour over the pears. Place the pie on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 and bake 1 hour. Cover loosely with foil to prevent over browning during the last half hour of cooking time. Serve warm.

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