Kick off summer with these award winning pie recipes
Nothing says summertime like homemade pie, especially when it’s made with fresh-from-the-farm fruit.
The American Pie Council shared some of its award-winning pie recipes from the 2019 national pie championships held earlier this year in Orlando, Fla., where amateur and commercial bakers from throughout the United States and Canada competed to be called the nation’s best.
Treat your friends and family to one of these award winners at your next gathering.
Apricot Apple Winkie Pie
David Harper
Lone Rock, Wis.
First place, Apple Division
Crust
Ingredients
1/2 cup of Crisco
1 cup of flour
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons ice cold water
Cream Cheese Layer
12 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 cups whipped topping, such as Cool Whip
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of almond flavoring
Apple Pie Filling
2 1/2 pounds cooking apples (peeled, cored, and sliced)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons butter
1 heaping tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 cup apple cider
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of nutmeg
1 cup apricot preserves, warmed
Extras
1 box Golden Twinkie Cakes
Whipped cream of your choice
Pecan pieces
Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk the flour and the salt together in a large bowl. Add the Crisco and mix with your fingers until combined. Add the ice water and use a fork to combine. Turn pie dough out onto a floured surface and gather into a circular disk. Roll out the dough big enough to fit into a pie plate. Flute edges for decoration. Place into the refrigerator for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, use a fork to poke holes in the bottom and sides of the pie crust. Place crust in oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned and dry. While crust is baking mix up the filling. After 10-15 minutes of baking, remove the crust from oven and let cool on rack.
Apple Filling: In a heavy pan over medium heat, combine the butter, flour, sugars, and spices. Add the apples, apple cider, and lemon juice and sauté until almost tender-about 4-6 minutes. Cool for about 15 minutes.
Cream Cheese Filling: Beat the cream cheese and powdered sugar together in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add the vanilla and almond flavoring and whip until incorporated. Add the whipped topping and mix until combined. Spread ½ of the mixture in the bottom of the cooled pie crust and set aside until later. Refrigerate remaining mixture until later.
Assemble the pie: Place cut up Twinkies on the cream cheese mixture. Brush top of Twinkies with warm apricot preserves. Cover with half of the apple mixture. Place remaining cream cheese mixture on this. Cover with remaining apple mixture. Brush remaining apricot preserves on top. Top with whipped cream of choice and crushed pecans.
Rhubarb Pie with a Strawberry on Top
David Harper
Lone Rock, Wis.
First place, Fruit/Berry Division
Crust
Ingredients
1 cup of Crisco
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons salt
10 tablespoons ice cold water
Rhubarb Filling
5 cups rhubarb
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
Pinch of cinnamon
Crumb Topping
2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons butter
Strawberry Layer
1 package frozen strawberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup cornstarch mixed with ¼ water to make a slurry
4 cups fresh strawberries, cut up
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Crust: Whisk the flour and the salt together in a large bowl. Add the Crisco and mix with your fingers until combined. Add the ice water and use a fork to combine. Turn pie dough out onto a floured surface and gather into a circular disk. Divide disk into two equal parts. Roll out one disk of dough big enough to fit into a pie plate, trim the edges to about one-inch overhang. Place into the refrigerator until ready to use. Wrap the other disk in plastic wrap and chill until later.
Rhubarb filling: Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and pour into pie crust. Top with crumb topping in which you combine first five ingredients in a bowl. Cut in the butter until combined. Put on top of pie and bake at 425 for 15 minutes and then reduce temperature to 375 for another 40 minutes or until topping is browned and bubbling. Cool on wire rack to room temperature. Once cool, make strawberry topping.
Strawberry layer: Combine frozen strawberries in a large saucepan. Add the water, sugar, and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Mash the strawberries with a fork or potato masher. Add the cornstarch slurry at this point. Mixture with thicken very quickly. Remove from heat and run through a strainer to catch strawberry pulp and seeds. Cool until room temperature. Carefully fold in the 4 cups of fresh strawberries.
Assemble the pie: Place the strawberry mixture on top of the rhubarb pie. Top with decorative whipped cream if you wish.