The Great Family Pie Review

Pie Review

By Carly Meyers

This season, we held the 1st annual Great Family Pie Review. We welcomed those in our community to bake pies to compete for gift cards from 5th Generations Farms and a chance to have their recipe featured in our magazine. Was this a ploy to nd the best pie for our readers for the holidays, or to get people to bring us a ton of dessert? Regardless, the turnout was as fantastic as the pies. The pies were judged on taste, texture, appearance and creativity. From a set of 10 judges, each pie was judged by three people at random. Judges pulled scoring cards with assigned pies from a bin to ensure the pies weren’t scored up against all others, and instead held its own ground for scoring. The results were close, with only 2 points separating 1st and 2nd place. The following are your rst annual winning pies of the Great Family Pie Review!

1ST PLACE

Ingredients: Crust:

White Chocolate Raspberry Pie

by Richard Crawford

• 1 1/2 packs of graham crackers crushed (about 15) • 4 tablespoons softened salted butter Filling:

• 2 packages 3-4 ounces instant French vanilla pudding mix • 1 cup cold milk • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream • 1/2 cup of prepped whipped cream • 2-4 tablespoons melted white chocolate morsels Whipped cream:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar • 1 teaspoon almond extract White chocolate disk:

• 1/2 cup melted white chocolate morsels Garnish:

• 5 ounces or more of raspberries • 2 tablespoons melted white chocolate Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Crush graham crackers into fi ne crumbs in a food processor, or in a bag with a rolling pin. Mix in butter (softened not melted) until fully incorporated and crumbs look similar to wet beach sand.

Press crumb mixture into a 9-inch pie pan by hand into bottom and edges to desired thickness; suggested is 1/2 - 1/3 inches thick. Once fi nished, bake for 13 minutes or until dark, golden brown; set aside to cool. Make whipped cream

Add heavy cream, powdered sugar and almond extract to a medium mixing bowl and mix on medium to medium-high speed with an electric or stand mixer until fi rm peaks form; 4-8 minutes depending on mixer and speed. Store whipped cream in fridge until ready to use. Make the disk

Melt chocolate according to the package until smooth and easy to spread.

Spray the bottom of a 9-inch round cake pan, or silicone mold, with non-stick butter or baking spray. Spread the melted chocolate onto the bottom of the cake pan evenly and set aside or in the fridge to harden; do not place in the freezer, as it will crack. Make the lling

Add pudding mix, heavy cream and milk to a large bowl and mix well for about 2 minutes. Then, add melted white chocolate while mixing to incorporate evenly into the mixture. Next, add whipped cream and mix on high for about 2 minutes until smooth. Layering the Pie

First, add fi lling and smooth; optional to follow with a single layer of raspberries if desired. Next, carefully remove white chocolate disk from its pan and add on top of the fi lling. Then, add whipped cream over the entire disk by spreading carefully or with a piping bag. Next, add desired number of raspberries on top of whipped cream; suggested is covering entirely with raspberries. Garnish with drizzle of melted white chocolate.

Cool pie in the fridge for at least 1 hour to set the layers. For best results, cool for 4-24 hours.

Cranberry Vanilla Bean Pie

by Erika Bisconer

Ingredients: Cranberry lling:

• 16 ounces fresh cranberries, washed and rinsed • 1/2 cup granulated sugar • 1/4 cup light brown sugar • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice • 1 cup cranberry juice cocktail • 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated ginger • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch • 2 tablespoons cold water

Crust and crumble:

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose fl our • 1/2 cup granulated sugar • 1/4 cup light brown sugar • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder • Pinch of salt • 3/4 cup salted butter, room temperature

Cheesecake lling:

• 8 ounces cream cheese softened • 1/2 cup sour cream room temperature • 2/3 cup granulated sugar • 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice • 1 large egg room temperature • 1 vanilla bean

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease glass pie pan with shortening and coat with fl our. Cranberry lling:

Bring cranberries, both sugars, lemon zest, lemon juice, cranberry juice, ginger and cinnamon to a boil over medium-high heat. Be sure to continuously scrape sides to avoid burning. Decrease heat to medium-low and cook down until cranberries are soft and juice has thickened slightly. Mix ½ tablespoon corn starch and 2 tablespoons cold water. Add to cranberry mixture and bring to a boil. Let boil for 3 minutes then remove from heat. Crust:

In a mixing bowl, mix fl our, both sugars, baking powder and salt until well combined. Add butter and mix with a paddle attachment until mixture is crumbly and holds together when pinched.

Transfer the remaining crust mixture to a 9.5-inch greased and fl oured glass pie pan. Press the crust fi rmly and evenly into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Cheesecake lling:

Raise temperature to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Beat cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl on medium speed until light and fl uffy. Split vanilla bean lengthwise with a knife and scrape out its seeds into the bowl, add egg and mix until combined and smooth. Pour the cheesecake fi lling over the slightly cooled crust; spread evenly. Bake 15 minutes, then lower temperature to 250 degrees and bake for 30 minutes to 1 hour; it will be clearly set with a slight wobble. Turn off oven and open oven door. Let cheesecake cool down in oven for 30 minutes. Remove and add cranberry fi lling over the top. Refrigerate overnight.

Let cool completely before serving chilled. Dust with powder sugar (optional). Ingredients:

• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk • 1 packet of pink lemonade drink mix • 8 ounces of cool whip • 1 graham cracker pie crust Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine condensed milk and pink lemonade drink mix until mixed thoroughly. Use a large spoon, or silicone spatula, and mix in cool whip until no white streaks remain; add to pie crust. Cover pie and let chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. For best results, chill overnight.

Pink Lemonade Pie

by Sarah Nichols

OTHER ENTRANTS

Sarah Peterson

Nina Howd

James Carter Carly Meyers

Noah Walker Debra Bolduc