Recipe: Pear custard pie!

I recently posted a picture on social media about my neighbor's pears and many of you asked for the recipe of a pear custard pie. 

I live on the east side of Madison in a tiny, older neighborhood. It's considered what most people call a "working class" neighborhood -- the homes are smaller and usually have tiny closets, tiny bathrooms and tiny garages. It's a great little community with mostly retired people or young families.

I like it because it feels like the kind of neighborhood you or your parents grew up in. No McMansions, no fluff. Not that those are bad either, but my neighborhood feels like a throwback to a simpler time.

Our neighbor Sue is in her 80s and we often find ourselves gabbing at the fence line. Jim fixes her computer -- the old one we gave her -- and he mows her front lawn every week. She often gives us vegetables from her garden or something small she picked up at the store. 

Our other neighbor Ray is an older gentleman who keeps to himself but is equally kind. He plows our sidewalks with his John Deere when it snows. We return the favor when we beat him outside.

Anyway, Ray has a beautiful pear tree but never collects the pears. It took me a couple of summers but I recently found the courage to ask him if he needed help.

He told me that he doesn't care for pears so I could pick what I wanted. I promised I'd make him a few pear dishes to see if he would change his mind. I made him pear bread (muffins), pear butter and pear custard!  I just gave it to him yesterday so it will be interesting to hear if he liked it. I hope he does and takes advantage of the wonderful fruit in his own backyard!

This is a recipe I found on Pinterest from a blog called Dinner at the Zoo. It was a hit and by far, the simplest recipe out of the bunch. 

NOTE: The pears go to the bottom but they float to the top when they're done! I wanted to add that because I was confused at how it was going to work.

INGREDIENTS:
4 pears 
1/4 cup unsalted butter (I used salted butter)
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk (skim worked for me, FYI)
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (I omitted since I used salted butter)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
powdered sugar for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, coat a 9 inch pan with cooking spray or oil.
• Arrange the pear slices in a pan.
• Put the butter, eggs, milk, salt, sugar, flour and vanilla in a blender until smooth.
• Pour the batter over the pears.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and firm.
• Dust the top with powdered sugar BEFORE serving.