I love me some pie. But, what I do I love even more than pie? A really good cheese. It just so happened to work out that I was working on a pie recipe just about the same time that Whole Foods Market invited me out to try some of their delicious Parmigiano Reggiano. I joined many people across the United States in joining Whole Foods Markets in celebrating Parmigiano Reggiano, the “king of cheese,” with a “crack heard around the world.” Each store simultaneously cracked individual 85-pound wheels using traditional methods. The crew from my store even juggled the cheese!

So, I had to incorporate some of that cheesy goodness in my latest pie creation. I think the Pig, Pear, & Parm Pie is Positively Perfect. 😉

More About Parmigiano Reggiano from Whole Foods Market:

·       Parmigiano Reggiano at Whole Foods Market is always aged 24 months (this is the best age in terms of flavor and texture – it cannot be called Parmigiano Reggiano until it is aged at least 12 months but WFM goes the extra mile and ages it an additional year).

·       With a documented history dating back almost 1,000 years, only cheese made in one area of Northern Italy – Reggio Emilia, Parma, Modena and portions of Bologna and Mantua – can bear the Parmigiano Reggiano name.

·       Our cheese buyers travel to Italy each year to hand select the wheels to be sold at Whole Foods Market.

·       Each wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano is 85 pounds and requires special knives for cheesemongers to “crack” it open.

·       Parmigiano Reggiano flavor profile is toasted, salty and nutty with subtle crystal-like texture.

·       Real Parmigiano  Reggiano is known for its studded rind. Learn how to read the numbers on the rind here.

·       Whole Foods Market holds the Guinness World Records^® title for the largest number of wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano simultaneously cracked – 426!

 Recipes

• Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto and Arugula Flatbread
• Oven-Baked Chicken with Parmigiano Reggiano Crust
• Broccoli with Parmigiano Reggiano and Pine Nuts
• Spinach Salad with Warm Parmigiano Reggiano Dressing
• Parmigiano Reggiano Crisps
• Parmigiano Reggiano Crisps with Chocolate and Sea Salt

Keep scrolling down for the Pig, Pear, & Parm Pie Recipe!

There just isn’t anything quite like the salty combination of Parm cheese with the sweetness of pears. Well, that is, until you add ham. Sweet, savory, and seriously good– this pie is full of alliteration.

Introducing the…

Pig, Pear, & Parm Pie

Ingredients:

Crust:

Check out my tips for baking the perfect pie crust before jumping into making this crust.

• 2 1/2 Cups Flour
• 1 8 oz Kerrygold butter- Frozen
• 1/4 cup of ice cold water (as needed)
• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar

Filling:

• 1 Ham Steak cubed
• 4 pears peeled,  seeds removed (check out my tips for this too), and sliced
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 Tsp Kosher Salt
• Several twists of Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano
• Dash of Nutmeg
• Dash of Powdered Ginger

Directions:

 Crust:

1. Put salt, sugar, and flour in a large bowl. Grate 1 stick of frozen butter into the flour.
2. Work the flour with your fingers. Work until the mixture is like course crumbs. Try not to overwork the dough. Little pockets of butter are what makes the dough AMAZING when it bakes!
3. Add in the grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
4. Slowly add ice water (water that has been chilling in ice… not water with ice) while mixing with your hands. Mix until the dough forms a ball. You may not need all of the ice water. Mix it enough until the dough easily forms a ball.
5. Split the ball in two and then press into two discs. Wrap in cellophane and put in refrigerator.
6. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour. SUPER important step. Dough can also be frozen at this point if you’d want to save the dough for a different day.
7. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
8. Roll out each disk dough into a circle that is approximately one and a half sizes larger than the pie plate. Roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Make sure that the dough is fairly even. Press into pie plate.
9. Fill with Filling (see below)
10. Cover top of pie with second disk of crust, crimp the edges, slice an X in the top of pie, and bake at 350 degrees until pie crust is golden brown. Approximately 45 min.

Filling:

1. Put 4 sliced pears in a large sautee pan on the stove top set to a Medium heat
2. Add sugar, salt, butter, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to pears
3. Move pears around in dish until the sugar mixture has melted and covered all pears.
4. Let cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Add Diced Ham to the bottom of the pie crust covered pie plate
6. Cover with pear mixture
7. Sprinkle grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese over pear mixture
8. Grind pepper over mixture
9. Cover top of pie with second disk of crust, crimp the edges, slice an X in the top of pie, and bake at 350 degrees until pie crust is golden brown. Approximately 45 min.

We chose to serve our pie with mixed greens with an apple cider vinaigrette and mimosas at brunch. How would you serve your Pig, Pear, and Parm Pie?