As American as...Pear Pie?

It sounds strange, I know. The other day I found myself in need of a quick dessert, and as I had two apples and two pears, I thought to myself "Self, why not a pie?" But I knew I didn't have enough apples for a whole pie. Out of luck. Or was I? Pears have a very similar texture and slightly sweeter flavor than apples, and if I mixed some in with the apples no one would be able to tell. Right? Absolutely. So while I was running around my newly renovated pantry (thanks Big Bear!), I was trying to think of what flavor profile to use in a pear pie. Hmmm, cinnamon and nutmeg, standard for apple pie, check. Ginger? Ooooh, two kinds of ginger? YES PLEASE! So this is the story, all about how, the apple pie got flipped, turned upside down. And mixed with pears.
I didn't get a picture in before my coworkers started to devour it. Sorry...

Super Flaky Pie Crust
1 C butter (softened)
1 C flour
1 t salt
1/4 C water (cold)

Apple-Pear Pie Filling
2 medium apples
2 medium firm pears
1/4 C sugar
2 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t ground ginger
2 T crystallized ginger
4 T flour
2 t caramel extract/sauce

Crumbly Topping
1/2 C butter (softened)
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C flour

Start with the pie crust (if you aren't using a pre-made dough. I won't tell anyone if you are). In your mixer cream the butter with itself. Slowly add in the salt, then the flour. If you use salted butter, omit the extra salt. Slooowly add the water (you may not use the entire 1/4 C, or you might need more.) Once the dough will more or less come together with pressure from your hands, you'll want to stop with the water. Place the dough on a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap tightly into a ball. Refrigerate for up to an hour. I usually just stick it in there while the oven is pre-heating and I'm getting my filling together.

For the filling. Peal the apples and pears. I usually slice mine into quarters, core it, then each quarter into thirds, then each third into chunks (usually 1/3 to 1/4 of each slice). Put all that yummylicious fruit into a big bowl and add the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, flour, and caramel extract/sauce. Don't add the crystallized ginger here. Preheat the oven to 375.

By now your dough should have rested enough. If it hasn't been in the fridge for at least 30 minutes go grab yourself a cocktail and come back later. Now it should be between 30-60 minutes. Flour a flat surface, such as a counter or a silpat mat. Flour a rolling pin and start rolling out one big pie circle. Don't worry about uneven edges, you'll cut those off after it's in the pan. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick, and about 12-15 inches across. Spray and flour a pie pan. Flip the pie pan on top of the rolled out dough. Using your hands to help, or a spatula, get under the dough and push it into the pan while turning right side up. Yay! You're almost there! Mold the dough to the shape of the pie pan, allowing the excess dough to hang off the edges. Take a butter knife, or any other non-sharp knife, and cut the excess off. Reserve that for a few minutes from now. Using a fork, prick the bottom of the pie dough. This allows steam to escape during the baking process so your crust doesn't go all weird shapes on you and ends up tender and flaky. Pour the filling into the pan, spread around evenly. Now you get to sprinkle the crystallized ginger on top of the apple/pear mixture.

For the topping, cream together the brown sugar and butter. Add the flour. Drop globs of it all of the top of the pie. Mmmm...globs.

With the reserved dough, roll it out again. Again, about 1/4 inch thick. Go grab a cute little cookie cutter. I used a ducky for the upcoming Easter holiday. Place the cutout dough around the edge of the pie.
Bake at 375 for about 30 minutes and then lower the heat to 325 for the last 30 minutes. If the crust starts to brown too much, use a crust guard or some foil around the edges.

What other sorts of strange pie combinations have you come up with?