Pear and Cardimom Pie with Almond Crust

Karen Hunsaker always prefers pie to cake on her Birthday. I decided to make her two this last time. They were my first pies, very very yummy but next time I hope the crusts look better ;-P

ingredients

Crust

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 7-ounce package marzipan or almond paste, coarsely crumbled
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5 tablespoons chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
5 tablespoons (about) pear nectar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Filling

1/3 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 vanilla bean, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 pounds firm but ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, halved, cored, cut into
1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick wedges
2 tablespoons pear nectar
1 egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)
1 tablespoon sugar

directions

Crust

1
Blend flour, marzipan and salt in processor until marzipan is finely ground. Add butter and shortening and cut in using on/off turns until
2
mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix 3 tablespoons pear nectar and almond extract and blend in using on/off turns. Gradually blend in
3
enough pear nectar by tablespoonfuls to form moist clumps. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough into 2 pieces. Flatten each into disk.
4
Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate 2 hours. (Dough can be prepared up to 3 days ahead. Keep refrigerated. Soften dough slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)

Filling

1
Grind brown sugar and vanilla bean in processor 1 minute. Add cornstarch and cardamom and process until vanilla bean is almost completely blended. Transfer to large bowl. Add pears and pear nectar; toss to coat.
2
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Roll out 1 dough disk between sheets of floured parchment paper to 13-inch round.
3
Peel off top sheet of parchment. Invert dough into 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Peel off top sheet of parchment. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Transfer filling to crust. Roll out second dough disk between sheets of floured parchment to 13-inch round. Drape dough over filling. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Press edges together to seal; fold under. Crimp edge decoratively.
4
Gather scraps and reroll between sheets of floured parchment. Cut out leaf shapes using cookie cutter. Arrange atop pie. Brush top of crust
5
(not edge) with glaze. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Cut several slits in top to allow steam to escape during baking. Bake pie 15 minutes. Cover crust edge with foil to prevent over-browning. Continue baking until crust browns and pears are almost tender when pierced with skewer, about 40 minutes. Cool pie on rack at least 1 1/2 hours.
6
Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.