Lake County Fair Results 2017

This year I entered 5 pies and one cookie.  My Chocolate Chip cookies that took First Place last year (I figured I should at least try to defend their title) came in Third Place.  I had also entered the Oatmeal Cookie Division, but they spread out larger than 3" and would have been disqualified.  The only other Oatmeal cookies there looked like my dogs' vomit and the only Snickerdoodles there were so bad they weren't even given a ribbon, but I hadn't even thought of entering that category after the Great Snickerdoodle Conspiracy of 2016.  Anyway, you're here about pie.

For the Blueberry Class, I entered my Blueberry Lemon Mascarpone Pie.  I was so certain that this pie would take Grand Champion for the Pie Division, after the success of last year's Blue Hawaii Pie. It took Third Place.  The comment from the judges was that it would have placed higher in the Cheesecake Class.  So, apparently, this blueberry pie is better than cheesecake.  I guess I'll take that as a compliment.

For the Other Pie Class, I entered the Lime Chili Meringue Pie.  This pie took Second Place.  The comments from the judges were "Beautiful Meringue" and "nice strong lime flavor."

For the Apple Class, I entered a Cheddar Crusted Apple Pie.  This pie also took Second Place.  The judges comments were "nice decoration" and "crust on the tough side."  I did use my own recipe for the filling; but if you would like the recipe for the crust, I used this one: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nancy-fuller/apple-pie-with-cheddar-cheese-crust-2406188 

For the Cherry Class, I entered a Golden Cherry Pie, using my Sweet Cherry Pie recipe with Rainier cherries.  This pie won First Place.  The judges liked my crust and the lattice, and they appreciate my use of Rainier cherries as something different.

For the Custard Class, I entered my Butterscotch Custard Pie.  This pie won First Place and also Grand Champion for the Pie Division.  This was a complete shock.  Out of all of my pies, this one is the one I would have given Third Place.  But I guess it really does come down to the opinion of the judges.  And like my dad, who first requested a butterscotch pie for Father's Day, they like butterscotch pie.  They called it "Gorgeous!" They said the topping was "very tasty" (it was literally whipping cream, sugar, and a stabilizer to help it look pretty for a few days).  They said the custard was very unique (it is literally directly out of a Better Homes & Gardens cookbook from 1983).  But I guess when the cookbook says "All-Time Favorite Pies," it meant it.

I didn't enter the state fair this year, due a conflict with some travel, so I guess it is time to start thinking about next year.

Piece out!
Justin

Butterscotch Custard Pie

I asked my dad what kind of pie he wanted me to make for Father's Day and his response was "Butterscotch."  After looking at about 8 recipes, I settled on this one found in a pie recipe book recently found in my parent's basement.

Ingredients:
Single pie crust
4 eggs
18 oz of evaporated milk
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of sugar

Directions:
Beat eggs.  Add evaporated milk and brown sugar and stir until brown sugar dissolves.  Pour filling into a partially baked pie crust.  Bake for 1 hour at 350oF, or until the filling no longer jiggles when you move it.  You may want to cover the edges with foil to prevent over browning for the first 25 minutes. Cool on a rack.  Whip the heavy cream and sugar together and dollop or pipe onto the pie.  Chill.

I was very hesitant about this pie.  I was expecting a butterscotch puddingy flavor.  I was wrong.  This was delicious.  I would gladly make this again.

Piece out!
Justin

Pum-conut Pie

Last weekend, I was driving through Richmond, IL, on my way home from picking apples at an apple orchard.  I noticed that one of my favorite antique stores is closing and was having a huge sale.  I bought two vintage Pies by Fasano pie tins and four cookbooks.  One of them was a community made recipe book from Delavan, WI, from 1980.  My husband is from Delavan, and went to school with the kids of the majority of the recipe providers, or shopped in their husbands' shoe stores, etc.

Anyway, another cookbook that I picked up was the Pillsbury's Bake Off Dessert Cook Book from 1968.  The one recipe that really caught my eye was the Pum-conut Pie, so I decided to give it a try.  It is basically a pumpkin pie with shredded coconut.  So here is what I did...

Ingredients:

2 eggs

3/4 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of mace

1/4 teaspoon of ground clove

1 can of pumpkin

1 can of evaporated milk

3/4 cup of shredded coconut

Directions:
Beat the eggs.  Add sugar, salt, and spices.  Stir to combine.  Add pumpkin.  Stir to combine,  Add evaporated milk.  Stir to combine.  Add 1/2 cup of shredded coconut.  Stir to combine.  Pour into a prepared crust.  Bake at 425oF for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup of coconut and bake for another 10 minutes.  Allow to cool entirely before eating.

This pie was totally ok.  The chewiness of the coconut was a nice addition; however, this pie lacked any real wow factor.  But the concept does has potential.  I may revisit it as a pumpkin chiffon pie and see if that had the wow factor I am looking for.

Piece out!
Justin

Ginger Strawberry Pie

I made this pie to use up the strawberries I had bought for yesterday's Strawberry Balsamic Pie.  This recipe is very similar and the directions are practically identical.  The recipe actually calls for wild ginger.  I have no idea where to even look for wild ginger, so I used regular ginger.  Since you already have the box grater out for the apple, do yourself a favor.  I was three quarters of the way through mincing my ginger when I realized I could just be grating it.  I also think that grated ginger would blend a little bit better into the filling instead of having occasional mini-chunks of ginger in your bites of pie.

Again, this pie is messy.  Today, I was smart and put aluminum foil down on the baking sheet to avoid scrubbing the sticky mess off of the sheet afterward.

Yesterday, I made the analogy that the Strawberry Balsamic Pie was more a bassoon solo than a clarinet solo.  To continue my strawberry-pie-is-just-like-a-musical-instrument-solo series of analogies, this pie is like a cornet solo.  The flavor is just as bright as a clarinet, but a little bit brassier.  It's a fun pie, with an unexpected flavor.  I'm not sure which of the two pies I prefer.  They are both so good, and yet so different.   I think that this pie would be more of a general crowd-pleaser; however, the other would be more likely to impress your foodie friends.

Or just do what I did and buy four pounds of strawberries and make both.

Piece out!
Justin

Strawberry Balsamic Pie

Yesterday, I decided to make the Strawberry Balsamic Pie from The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book.  Today, when I went to Costco I bought a lot of strawberries.  Twice as many as I actually needed.  So I will be making the Ginger Strawberry Pie from the same cookbook tomorrow.

I thought it was odd that I had to macerate the strawberries and then pour out the liquid.  But this must be necessary to keep the filling from being too watery.  Another interesting part of the recipe is adding a box-grated apple to the filling. But I trust this cookbook like a Boy Scout handbook.

It is not a clean pie.  You want to make sure that you put the pie plate on a cookie sheet to keep the filling from oozing all over the bottom of your oven.  Unless you like the smell of oven cleaner; in that case, by all means...

It was also fairly warm in my house today (especially after running the oven at 425oF and 375oF), so although the filling had cooled it hadn't completely set.  So, maybe tomorrow I will get a cleaner slice to show you.

The pie itself is fantastic.  It isn't as bright as other strawberry pies.  It is still as sweet; however, it has a deeper and more complex flavor.  To best describe this:  imagine a bassoon solo instead of a clarinet solo.  You also don't notice the balsamic until the end of each bite.  Then it comes through and adds yet another note to this intricate symphony of flavors.

After sitting in the refrigerator over night, the filling did set up and created a "nicer" slice.  You don't need to wait to eat it, but stick it in the fridge if you plan on sharing with friends, or your husband's co-workers.

Piece out!

Justin

Grapefruit Custard Pie

Yesterday, I made the Grapefruit Custard Pie from The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book, by Emily Elsen and Melissa Elsen, to share with my family at Easter brunch.  This is the third recipe that I have made from this cookbook.  The first two were the Salted Caramel Apple Pie and Maple Buttermilk Custard Pie that I made as mini-pies for Thanksgiving 2014.  

So far, this cookbook has produced perfect fillings.  The custards are smooth and the fruit fillings aren't too juicy.  If you are looking for a pie cookbook that strays from the standards, but yields consistently amazing and wonderful pies, buy this book.

The flavor of this pie is refreshing and light.  I hate grapefruit, but I loved it.  My husband, who hates sweet pies, ate a whole slice without complaint.  The recipe can probably be switched around with other citrus juices and/or different alcohols.  So, expect to see an amaretto sour pie in the next few weeks... 

Piece out!

Justin

Cookbook Wish List

My birthday is a month away.  Instead of getting coffee travel mugs that I have no use for, I thought I would put this out into the universe and see what it returns to me.

I have created a wish list on Amazon that can be found at http://amzn.com/w/3048PAXIKO62F. The list is comprised of nine pie cookbooks that I do not own, that I would like to own, and that I think would up my pie game.

And I need to up my pie game.  I plan to enter some competitions this summer at the Lake County and Illinois State Fairs.  For these competitions my recipes need to be original; however, a solid technique for getting the perfect consistency of certain trickier fillings would be immensely helpful in creating my own recipes.

Piece out!

Justin

Gypsy Tart

I recently ordered Tart It Up! by Eric Lanlard on Amazon.  The book has over 100 recipes for both sweet and savory pies.  The collection of recipes is unique and offers a lot of recipes not found in other cookbooks.  The majority of the recipes are complicated and require a shopping list, as opposed to "hey, I need to get some blueberries and a lemon."  The one thing I love about this book is that it includes a tip for most of the recipes for how to make the pie go from great to outstanding.  I intend to make a lot of these recipes once berries come in season.  Order your copy here, so you can make his baked raspberry and basil tart once raspberries aren't $4.99 for a little container.  These majority of these are pies to impress, and not weekly "oh hey, I felt like making a pie" pies.

From this cookbook, I made the Gypsy tart.  It was the only pie that did not require me to go out to the grocery store again after the mail came.  Other than the crust, the only other ingredients are evaporated milk and brown sugar.  After following the recipe and letting it chill for the two recommended hours, the pie did not set.  I think I over-whipped the filling, going the full fifteen minutes even though it came to the described consistency after about nine minutes.  I tried baking it for another 10 minutes.  Still no good, so I stuck it in the freezer.  After three and a half hours in the freezer, it still had not come together.  I was able to cut a piece, but the hole filled with liquid.

However, after sitting in the freezer for 24 hours, I was able to cut a slice that kept its shape.  I was nice as a cold pie.  Like eating caramel gelato in a pie crust.  So if you try this pie and it doesn't set, you don't have to throw it out.  You can freeze it and eat it that way.

I will try this pie again and trust my instinct on the filling:  when it thickens to almost soft peaks I will stop.

Piece out!
Justin