Illinois State Fair Results 2016

I entered three pies into the Open Culinary Department at the Illinois State Fair this year, as well as one entry in the Pumpkin Pie Special Contest.

My Taffy Apple Pie took first place in the Apple Class.

My Peach Paprika Pie took first place in the Peach Class.

My Triple Berry Pie did not place in the Berry Class.  The top three, including the champion of the Pie Division, were traditional blueberry pies.  I wish I could have made my Blue Hawaii Pie, but with the lack of refrigeration, I don't think it would last the 24 hours from the time I drop it off until it would be judged.

My Pumpkin Spice Latte Chiffon Pie also did not place in the Pumpkin Pie Contest.  The judge thought the espresso overpowered the pumpkin.  Also, after an almost 4 hour car ride, I do not think the chiffon was as nicely set up as it is when it is fresh out of the refrigerator.  The winners of this contest also had more traditional/vintage pies.  However, I take some consolation in the fact that the first place and third place winners from 2015 also did not place.

Now on to new ideas for next year...

Piece out!

Justin

Sweet Cherry Pie

I have a friend who has cherry trees in his yard.  So one day I offered to make a pie with him, if he provided the cherries.  So that is what we did.

Ingredients:

6 cups of frozen sweet cherries

3/4 - 1 cup of sugar (his sweet cherries are still pretty tart, so we went with 1 cup)

3 tablespoons of King Arthur Flour's Signature Secrets

Juice from one lemon

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Directions:

Thaw the cherries.  Mix all ingredients in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Boil for 2 minutes.  Pour filling into a bottom crust and then cover with a top crust (We did lattice.  If you use a full top crust, make sure you cut vents.)  Bake for 20 minutes at 425oF, then reduce the heat to 375oF and continue to bake for 35 minutes.  Allow to cool.  

I have some sad news: King Arthur Flour has discontinued Signature Secrets.  My suggestion would be to use a little more than 3 tablespoons of cornstarch or use a little less sugar and use King Arthur Flour's Pie Filling Enhancer.  Either should work.

I really liked this pie.  It had a nice tartness to it, unlike store-bought cherry pie filling's sugary sweetness.  If you wanted to make this with sour cherries, swap the lemon juice for a 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg and swap the vanilla extract for a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.

Piece out!

Justin

Triple Berry Pie

I have been looking for a good berry pie recipe since the failure to place of the Blackberry Mint Julep Pie at last year's state fair.  I finally found one that I like.  With a library of over 30 pie cookbooks, you would think it would have been an easy task.  It wasn't.  But here is what I made.

Ingredients: 

Quart of strawberries

Half pint of blueberries

Half pint of raspberries

1/2 cup of water

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1/2 cup of sugar

3 tablespoons of King Arthur Flour's Instant ClearJel

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Directions:

Blend 1 cup of strawberries with water and lemon juice.  Combine sugar and ClearJel.  Whisk strawberry and sugar mixtures together in a medium sauce pan.  Bring to boil over medium heat.  Boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Hull and quarter remaining strawberries.  Add blueberries, raspberries, and vanilla.  Pour slightly cooled strawberry mixture over berries.  Stir gently.  Pour into a blind-baked crust.  Allow to cool and/or refrigerate.

If you want to use cornstarch, because you have it.  Use two tablespoons and add it, along with the sugar to the blender.  However, do not do this with ClearJel.  It makes a huge mess.  Trust me.

I really like the freshness of the flavor of this pie.  A lot of fresh berry pie recipes use strawberry-favored gelatin, which I feel takes away from the natural deliciousness of the berries. 

A friend of mine said this pie looks "berry good," but I guarantee it tastes even better.

Piece out!

Justin

Lake County Fair Results 2016

This year I entered 4 pies and two cookies.  My Chocolate Chip cookies took First Place.  It is the recipe my family has used for years and they are really good.  My Snickerdoodles took Third Place.  Also, my family's recipe and now the victim of what is clearly a conspiracy...  Anyway, you're here about pie.

For the Blueberry Class, I entered my Blue Hawaii Pie.  This pie won First Place and also Grand Champion for the Pie Division.  What everyone, the judges and more importantly my mother, seems to like about this pie is the freshness of the blueberries.  I also got a positive comment on the crust.

For the Apple Class, I entered my Taffy Apple Pie.  This pie also won First Place.  Though the top crust was criticized for being too thick.

For the Other Pie Class, I entered the Chocolate Truffle Tart.  This also won First Place.

For the Pumpkin Class, I entered the Pumpkin Spice Latte Chiffon Pie.  This won Second Place.  But I am not surprised.  On the entry tag, there is no place to write the name of your pie.  So with comments like "Not a 'pumpkin pie' flavor" and "filling soft," I think there were expecting a traditional pumpkin pie.  This is definitely not that.  I also had to laugh because a comment here also complained about the crust, which is the same crust as the Blue Hawaii.

So, now, I guess it is time to focus on my pies for the state fair...

Piece out!
Justin

Blue Hawaii Pie

I have wanted to make a pie like this since I saw A Few Good Pie Places last summer on PBS.  À la Mode Pies in Seattle makes a pie like this, but I needed to figure out how to make it my own.  The answer came when I bought Maury Rubin's Book of Tarts.  Here was the result, after many not-quite-right attempts.

Ingredients: 

1 cup of heavy cream

3/4 cup of sugar

2 pints of blueberries

4 oz. can of crushed pineapple

1 1/4 cup of shredded coconut

2 tablespoons of King Arthur Flour's Pie Filling Enhancer

Directions:

Combine the cream and sugar is a small sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.  Let the mixture cool a bit while you prepare the rest.  Combine the blueberries, crushed pineapple, and 1 cup of shredded coconut.  Stir in the Pie Filling Enhancer.  Pour in the cream mixture and stir.  Pour into a partially blind-baked pie crust and bake for 35 minutes at 375oF.  Allow to cool completely.  Because it has dairy, I also refrigerate it.

I really like this pie.  My mom really likes this pie.  People at my husband's work really like this pie.  And the judges at the Lake County Fair really like this pie: it was Grand Champion for pies this year.

Piece out!

Justin