Looks yummy. Pear pie is my all time favorite, but the one I make is has a streusel top with cheddar cheese in it. Yum.
When you say you can taste the shortening, how fresh was yours? I find many people have it in their pantry but don't use it often. I can really taste when it gets rancid. So I freeze mine because I seldom use it.

that doesn't look like ... buns

Nope. Dave, it's pie time!

Olychick, thanks for the suggestion. I keep the shortening in the fridge and give it a smell, by habit, when I open it. It doesn't taste rancid. It tastes like shortening. It has that bland, manufactured flavor. I use shortening in vegan enriched bread and don't taste it, and I'm fine with half shortening in buttercream, but in pie crust it has ”that shortening flavor”. I'm sure the pie is fine. It's not horrible, It's just not worth giving up butter for unless one is making it vegan.

I do often make pie crust with vodka, but I absolutely never put any salt in or on caramel or caramel sauce - that would ruin it for me. I also use all cream and no milk when I make caramel, and this gives it a richer taste. I do not like salt in cream - it really detracts from the richness of the cream. I do not like the combination of salt and sweet either.

I'm going to have to start putting shortening in the freezer because I do not use it often either. I've been storing it in the fridge.

plllog, the pie looks darn good...really nice, golden crust. I've never made a pear pie. I often make all butter crusts, but using part shortening has worked well for me too. I always store shortening in the freezer for the reason Lars mentioned.

My grandmother made some of the best pies ever. She made her crusts with lard and hot water. I can't bring myself to do that but her crusts were truly amazing.

Your pie looks gorgeous Plllog.

I used to use all butter crusts then I started putting 3/4 butter, 1/4 shortening. Shortening is supposed to add flakiness while butter adds flavour. I keep shortening in the frig and also use if in my Better than Pam baking mix.

Looks like you needed a bit more water in the mix. I rarely measure the water but go by feel.....and I am sure that wouldn't have felt right.

I love caramel and I love salted caramel, but I would worry that the flavor would overpower the delicate flavor of the pears? Perhaps sweeter than I'd like because I do love the slightest pucker you get with a perfectly ripe Bartlett pear.

We test tasted the pie. I got several ”this is very goods”. :) I think it could have used another pear or a thinner crust, but the side view (sorry—I remembered to take a picture too late) looked like a good proportion. You can see the flaky on the end below. The pears are completely pear tasting, as they should be.

I drizzled the caramel sauce all around, but it isn’t at all prominent. Just a little accent of flavor. I could have used the full measure of caramel sauce, I think, and it still wouldn't have drowned the pears.

I have only used one pastry recipe for years and it came from here, via Canarybird, rest her soul. It was originally from a Vancouver Island BC cookbook and it's called "Nathan's No Fail Pastry. I use 1/2 butter and 1/2 lard. Not health food for sure, but we only have pie a couple of times a year so... It rolls like a dream and comes out almost like puff pastry.

Thanks! I know about that one—doesn't it also have egg?

Yes, and baking powder, which I think it is the reason it turns greyish in the freezer, but bakes up looking perfectly normal.I make double the recipe which results in 6 piecrusts. Throw them in the freezer and it is easy to make a pie for someone who could use one. It has never failed me.

That looks so good! Thanks for reporting back about the caramel/pear combo. Sounds like it worked out yummily!

240g flour, 190g butter and 60g cream or crème fraiche, Melts in the mouth. I would gobble up your pie in a glance. Yum.