Caramel-Pear Pie

Holiday Recipes Collection- Dough for 1 (9-inch) double-crust pie  3 TB all-purpose flour, divided  1 TB ground almonds 3 lb. Bartlett pears( about 6),peeled, quartered 1 TB pear or apple cognac, if desired 2 TB unsalted butter 1/2 cup sugar  Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 9-inch pie pan with 1 circle of dough. Sprinkle 1 TB of the flour and ground almonds over bottom of crust; refrigerate while preparing filling.  Toss pears with cognac in large bowl. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add sugar; cook and stir 7-8 min until golden brown.( At first, caramel will appear crystalized,followed by a separating of butter and sugar. It will smooth out as it begins to brown.) Whisk in remaining 2 TB flour until combined. Add pears; reduce heat to low. (Some of the caramel will harden.) Cook and stir 3-5 min or until caramel melts and coats pears. Place pears on pie crust; pour remaining caramel over pears.  Cut remaining circle of dough into 10 (3/4 inch wide) strips. Weave strips into lattice over pie filling, letting strips overhang pie pan. Trim strips to 1/2-inch overhang; fold under edge of bottom crust. Press down gently to seal; flute or crimp edge. Bake 45-55 min or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, covering edges with foil after 20 min if browning too quickly. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. TIP:  If you're new to making caramel,reduce the heat to low as the sugar starts to carmelize to minimize the chances of getting too dark. Serve pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or drizzle of cr'eme fraiche.  8 servings  (Source: Cooking Club of America)