Gingered Blueberry Pear Pie

Purchase or prepare your favorite pie crust and set aside.

Peel the pears and chop into bite-sized pieces. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a dutch oven or deep skillet. Add in the chopped pears and stir for about 2 minutes, or just until they start to soften. While they are cooking, chop the crystallized ginger into tiny pieces. Add it to the cooking pears and stir to coat with butter. Sprinkle in the vanilla sugar, stirring constantly until a nice syrup forms.

Make sure the heat is on medium low and put on a lid. Cook until the pears are soft (but not mushy) and the syrup is thick, about 5 minutes. You’ll want to stir it once in awhile so the sugar does not burn. Turn off the heat, remove the lid and allow to cool slightly.

While that is cooling, make the crumb topping. Finely chop the pecans and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and oats; cut in the butter until crumbly. Mix in the pecans.

By now the pear mixture has cooled slightly. Gently stir in the blueberries, stirring until coated with the syrup. Sprinkle on the 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and the 1/2 cup of flour. Once again, stir gently until everything is combined.

Spread the filling into the prepared pie crust. Sprinkle the crumb topping over all.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Bake for an additional 35 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown.

Allow to cool completely before cutting & serving. Garnish with whipped topping or ice cream if desired. This pie really does taste better the second and even the third day.