On Saturday, after years of perfecting my filling and my crust, I won 2nd place in the Enid's 7th Annual Apple Pie Bake-Off out of 50 pies! I won't lie, it was a sweet victory. Special thanks to Team Pie (you know who you are) for seeing it through until the very end. After judging, Mike snagged my winning pie off the table and eight of us devoured it with only six forks in about four minutes.
#29 = #2
I've entered this Bake-Off three times before, but this year was different. I picked the apples myself the previous week at Bushy Hill Orchard in Granby, CT. I made a test pie as part of an early autumn feast. And I relied heavily on Martha for inspiration, combining elements from two of her apple pie recipes, deepest dish and spiced with a top crust of fluted round cut-outs, with my own twists here and there. Some secrets: A little bit of cardamom goes a long way. So do a few extra tablespoons of butter in the crust. Grating your own cinnamon and nutmeg is key. And adding some brandy can never hurt.
I don't enter food contests as a hobby (though I did participate in friend Meat Yourself's Mac and Cheese off this weekend too!), but I love Enid's Bake-Off because it takes advantage of the season: Apples are peaking in the North East, and it's cold enough outside to crave warm apple pie.
Signing in...
The prizes
The party
My pie on the judges' table, a very exciting moment
Nervously awaiting the final announcements with Team Pie
2nd Place Winners!
The trophy
1 comment:
wooohooo!!
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