Rustic Pear and Apple Wine Pie

This pie was very good, very simple, but had some unique flavor twists that made it different.  It's the first time I've used the spice mace in a recipe, and it is used both in the crust and in the filling.  It's a spice made from the same tree as nutmeg, but smells and tastes very different, and accounts for the rustic part of the name.  I found a recipe for something very similar on www.epicurious.com, added wine, messed with the quantities a bit, and made it my own.

Crust

• 1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 3 tbs sugar
• 2 tsps grated lemon peel
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground mace
• 7 tbs cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 tbs ice water

Filling

• 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 3 large Jonagold apples, peeled, cored, cut into thin 1/2- slices
• 2 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, cut into thin 1/2- slices
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsps grated lemon peel
• 1/4 tsp ground mace
• 1 1/2 tbs butter

Whipped cream

• 1 cup chilled whipping cream
• 2 tbs sugar
• 2 tbs Applejack Brandy

Preparation

For crust:
Mix flour, sugar, grated lemon peel, salt and ground mace in processor. Add butter and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix yolk and water in small bowl. Add to processor and mix in using on/off turns until large moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in waxed paper and freeze 10 minutes. 

Butter 9-inch pie plate. Roll out dough between sheets of waxed paper to 13-inch round. Peel off top sheet of paper. Invert dough into prepared pan; peel off paper. Fold in edges to form double thickness. Crimp edges decoratively. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) 

For filling:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Finely chop slivered almonds in processor. Spread almonds on bottom of crust. Combine apples and pears in large bowl. Mix sugar, grated lemon peel and ground mace in small bowl. Toss half of sugar mixture with apples and pears. Pile into crust. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture over fruit. Dot with 1 1/2 tablespoons butter.

Bake until crust is brown and filling bubbles, about 1 hour. Cool on rack.

For whipped cream:
Beat cream, sugar and brandy in large bowl until medium-stiff peaks form. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)