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1
Roll out bottom crust and line a pie plate. Refrigerate for 15 minutes before baking.
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2
Poke holes throughout the crust with a fork. Line with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights, continue baking until the inside starts to turn golden.
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3
Meanwhile, toss pear cubes with tapioca, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and vanilla. I prefer cubes to slices when baking with tapioca because the pearls will blend in better than it does with slices. Let the mixture sit for at least 15 minutes before baking to soften the tapioca.
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4
This much sugar produces a mildly sweet pie. If you prefer a sweeter pie, use a whole cup.
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5
Fill par baked crust with pear mixture. It's best to work quickly once fruit is in the crust so it stays crisp.
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6
Roll out the top crust.
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7
I find a good strategy for when you want to par bake the bottom but still have a top crust is to cut out shapes and then lay them decoratively over the filling. This method doesn't require sealing the two crust halves at the edge.
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8
In this case, I cut out circles and placed them on a plate to re-chill in the fridge before covering the pie. This makes them easier to work with.
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9
I arranged the circles in a decorative pattern over the fruit, sealing overlapping edges with a little milk.
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10
Brush milk over the top of the pie. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon. (I've really been starting to get fancy, huh.)
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11
Make decorative venting slits on top.
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12
Bake at 425 degrees on the bottom oven rack for 20 minutes. Lower to 375 degrees and continue baking until filling is thick and bubbling, about 30 more minutes.
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13
Note: I recommend Bosc pears for this pie. A good alternative is Bartlett, but I do not recommend using Comice or D'Anjou varieties.
