Junipear Pie | Bake the Book

Break up the chill of winter with this zesty, herbaceous pie. The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book: Uncommon Recipes from the Celebrated Brooklyn Pie Shop dredges pear slices in lemon and orange juice then chops juniper berries into sugar and citrus zest to release their fragrance. The results are uncommonly good.

Tips: Juniper berries can usually be found in the spice aisle of your local supermarket. Juniper bushes are also fairly common in some parts of the US, if you decide to forage for them. They're best in the fall, when the berries are fat and just starting to wrinkle.

Tweaks: Peeling, coring, and slicing the pears for the filling takes long enough, and making the pie will take longer if you decide to use a lattice top. A plain pastry cover seals in all those juices, keeping everything soft and warm, while a lattice allows for a textural contrast. The choice is up to you.

As always with our Bake the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Book of Pie to give away.