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By Becky Krystal

Pear Skillet Pie With Phyllo Topping. (Tom McCorkle/For The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico)

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Good Saturday morning, everyone. We’re days away from fall (my favorite season), and I have just the dish for you.

Ellie Krieger’s Pear Skillet Pie With Phyllo Topping would be a delightful way to cap off an autumnal meal. It features about 2 pounds of the seasonal fruit, which is sliced, spiced and baked in a way that will remind you of another fall favorite, apple pie.

In addition to switching out the hero ingredient, Ellie offers a few more twists on the classic dessert. Sure, there’s the whole skillet situation, but the biggest departure is the crust — in that there isn’t one in the traditional sense. Instead, there’s a delightfully ruffled phyllo dough topping. It’s made by tossing and scrunching five or six sheets of phyllo in a bowl with olive oil. Then you simply scatter it across the fruit in the skillet. It’s a completely different experience than the typical buttery pie crust but offers a nice change of pace because of how easy it is to make and how light and crispy it is to eat. A final dusting of confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon adds even more visual panache.

If you’ve ever been wary about working with phyllo dough, this recipe makes a great introduction. There’s no fiddly layering or folding here, and the topping will look lovely no matter what you do. In my mind, the two relatively minor hurdles to overcome with phyllo are remembering to take it out of the freezer to defrost and making sure the dough doesn’t dry out while you work with it. Both are easily avoided if you pop the package in the fridge the day before you plan to use it and have a damp towel on hand to cover the phyllo on the counter.

In fact, I hope you use Ellie’s pie as a gateway into exploring more ways to incorporate phyllo into your cooking. It’s a handy shortcut that can be used in a variety of sweet and savory dishes. Wrap it around a filling to form little turnovers. Layer it on top of a casserole. Use it as the bottom crust of a pie. Encase a whole celery root in it. You’ll find more phyllo tips and recipes below.

I need to take a week off our live cooking chat, so mark your calendars for Thursday, Oct. 1, at 11 a.m. Eastern. I’ll be back in action and ready to answer your questions then, so feel free to submit them when they come to mind.

Until next week, happy cooking.

Cherry Phyllo Turnovers

(Tom McCorkle for The Washington Post/Food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post)

Phyllo dough brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with a little coarse sugar make these golden, flaky turnovers a lighter, better-for-you alternative to puff pastry or other pie doughs.

Ellie Krieger

Pear Skillet Pie With Phyllo Topping

Mini Quiches With Phyllo Crust

Chicken Phyllo Pies With Parsley Sauce

Phyllo Galette With Butternut Squash, Feta and Olives

Veggie Phyllo “Pizza”

Greek Mixed Greens Pie With Phyllo Crust

Recipe of the week

(Tom McCorkle/For The Washington Post; food styling by Gina Nistico)

Pear Skillet Pie With Phyllo Topping

Find substitution suggestions and other tips below the recipe.

Save or print the recipe

Storage: Refrigerate, covered, for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until warmed through.

Servings: 6 (makes one 10-inch dessert)

Active time: 30 mins

Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

5 medium firm ripe Bartlett pears (about 2 1/4 pounds/1475 grams total), peeled, cored and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch fine salt
5 ounces (140 grams) phyllo dough (5 or 6 large sheets)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

Steps

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, combine the pears, honey, lemon juice, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and toss to coat.

3. Separate the sheets of phyllo and place them in another large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil, then use your hands to scrunch the phyllo so it crumbles, clumps up a bit and becomes evenly coated with the oil.

4. Set a medium (10-inch), ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the pear mixture to the skillet and cook, gently tossing occasionally, until the fruit softens slightly and the juices begin to simmer, 2 to 3 minutes.

5. Distribute the phyllo evenly on top of the pears and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the top is crisp and golden brown, and the juices in the filling are thick and bubbling vigorously. Let cool until warm, at least 10 minutes, or completely, if you prefer to serve at room temperature. Sprinkle with the confectioners’ sugar and more cinnamon, and use a large spoon to scoop each serving onto a plate or shallow bowl.

From cookbook author and registered dietitian nutritionist Ellie Krieger. Tested by Becky Krystal.

Nutrition information per serving (1 cup): Calories: 267; Total Fat: 9 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 0 mg; Sodium: 163 mg; Carbohydrates: 46 g; Dietary Fiber: 6 g; Sugar: 23 g; Protein: 2 g.

Substitution suggestions + other tips and ideas: