A great day for a pie cook-off
Regina Murphy
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The pie cook-off was once again a fabulous success!
There’s something special about a sweet filling and a fluffy pastry crust, even at 8 a.m. All we needed was a pot of coffee!
The Learning Connection is doing a great job with the Farmer’s Market this year. I was thrilled at all the variety last Saturday, and there’s more to come I’m sure. Market volunteer Susan Kelly had things well in hand and was a big help with the Cook-off, too.
Norma Dixon brought a Pineapple Sour Cream pie that was to die for: it was the winner! It had a tart bite to it, and the creamiest meringue I’ve had in a long time. She landed nearly 50% of the vote! Norma and her husband are often selling things at the market -- Saturday she had a truck bed full of lovely primroses, and she often has pies too.
NORMA’S PINEAPPLE SOUR CREAM PIE
2/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
dash salt
3/4 cup sour cream
2 cups crushed pineapple
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 egg yolks
9 in. baked pie crust
Mix the first six ingredients together in a sauce pan and cook, stirring constantly, on medium heat for two minutes. Add egg yolks and cook two more minutes. Pour into a prepared pie crust, cover with meringue, brown the meringue in the oven a little bit and you have a winner.
Ruthann Resch brought an Almond Cream pie. It was delicious, smooth and very creamy. She decorated the top with little mounds of whipped cream and a sprinkling of thinly sliced almonds.
RUTHANN’S ALMOND CREAM PIE
2 3/4 cup half and half
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup sugar
4 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. almond extract or flavoring
2 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
9 in. baked pie crust
Whisk together the half and half and egg yolks. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a microwaveable bowl, then whisk in the milk mixture. Microwave in one to two minute intervals, stirring in between each interval until the mixture thickens. Ruthann says it takes six to eight minutes of cooking time depending on your microwave, and that you can always do it on the stovetop if you like.
Once the mixture has reached the consistency of a pudding, stir in the butter and almond extract. Pour the filling into the pie crust, cover and chill. Serve with whipped cream and almonds. Thanks, Ruthann!
This next pie was a big hit with the younger tasters: Mary Sigle brought a Peanut Butter pie. It was thick, rich and pea-nutty — a perfect summertime pie, and absolutely delicious.
MARY’S PEANUT
BUTTER PIE
1 graham cracker crust
1 large carton Cool Whip
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup powdered sugar
2 - 3 Tbsp. milk
Beat cream cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Add peanut butter and milk, beating until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip and pour into crust. Mary says you can sprinkle the top with chopped nuts if desired. Chill a couple of hours before serving, or better yet, overnight.
I just might chop up some Reese’s peanut butter cups to sprinkle on top of that. I bet you could use low-fat versions of the whipped topping and cream cheese if you felt the need. Thanks, Mary!
The final pie of the competition was a real beauty. A double crust, homemade and crimped, with slits cut through so that you could see the cranberry-red filling beneath. It was Eileen Thornton’s Rhubarb pie. And just rhubarb — no strawberries or other fruit. Very tasty!
Eileen uses frozen rhubarb, and cuts it into smaller pieces so that it cooks through. She doesn’t thaw it, either, when she builds the pie, and one taster remarked that must be the reason the rhubarb was able to retain it’s texture.
This pie was sweet, with a brightness to the taste that was very pleasing. She said she usually takes this one to the Penny Suppers in Hartford, so you might keep an eye out for it.
EILEEN’S RHUBARB PIE
2 cups rhubarb, chopped
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 - 2 Tbsp. butter
dough for two pie crusts
Toss the rhubarb, sugar and flour together until well mixed and pour into bottom crust. Dot with butter as desired and cover with top crust. Cut vents in the top crust so the juices can bubble and bake at 400 to 425 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes. Eileen covers the crust’s edge with tin foil to keep it from burning. Thanks, Eileen!
My mom was a master of the Crisco crust, but in recent years I have relied on the French recipe of pate brisé. It’s very easy to make, and richer than the vegetable shortening style crusts. You just need to keep it very cold. In fact, I often freeze half of it to use later.
PATE BRISÉ
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
8 Tbsp. (3/4 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/4 tsp. salt
2 to 4 Tbsp. ice water
Using a food processor, pulse the flour, butter and salt until mixture resembles cornmeal. With the machine running, slowly add 2 tablespoons ice water until a dough forms — this will happen very quickly, and use extra water if needed. Remove the dough and shape it into a disc (about the size of a salad plate). Lightly dust with flour and chill, wrapped in waxed paper or plastic wrap, for 1 hour.
When it’s time to use the dough, I prefer to roll it out on a chilled marble board dusted with flour. Save any trimmings you have leftover and mold them in a buttered ramekin to make a little tart shell.
The last word on pies today is a competition being held at this year’s Kansas State Fair. PiIlsbury is having a contest for recipes that use their refrigerated pie crusts. ... First place wins a $200 cash prize and a gift, and is entered in the $1,000 national competition. If you are interested, call the State Fair people at 620-699-3862 for details.
Have you noticed the nifty classes Flint Hills Technical College is offering this summer? There are courses in computer software, photography, cooking -- just tons of stuff. If you’re interested, give Rachael LeClear a call at 343-4600, ext. 1339.
Hey! The Farmers Market is open on Wednesday now! Come on down tonight at 5:00 p.m. and try some barbecue sauces. Whoever wins will be featured next week, and get a huge bag of barbecuing gifts from Madelynn’s. There are two more contests in July: Jams and Jellies, and Salsa. You don’t want to miss them.
Let’s get cooking!