“Have fork, will travel.” Or, to be more specific, “Have pie fork, will judge.”
It’s late July. Normally at this time of year, I would be up to my eyeballs in pie crust. I would have peaches coming out of my ears and more berries than I would know what to do with. My brow would be frozen into a non-committal furrow, and my stomach would be full.
I’m talking, of course, about the annual Jo Beers/Johnson County Pie Contest. Every year since 2007, I have been honored to serve as a judge of some of the best pie handiwork the area has to offer. The event was a fundraiser for the Altrusa Club’s scholarship fund. It was also a way to honor my friend Jo Beers, a mainstay of the local media scene for eight decades and a woman with a keen eye for good pastry.
Sadly, COVID-19 had other ideas. Over the years, the event has survived rain, wind and nearly unbearable heat. It could not, however, overcome a global pandemic.
Thus, here I sit ready to be judgmental, but with nothing to judge. I’ve tried judging my family and friends. “Are you really going to wear that shirt with those pants?” I’ll say to the other Michael as he gets ready for work in the morning. At dinner, I might say, “I give these potatoes 7 out of 10.”
Still, it’s not the same. For one thing, people don’t appreciate good judging in real life. For another, it’s not the same if it’s not pie.
And, so I had to adapt. First, I turned to Facebook to ask friends for their pie suggestions. I received more than a hundred pie varieties that ranged from peach to pecan to coconut cream. Then I started baking.
That’s right. While I am accustomed to judging others, I have never put myself under the microscope. Thus, I set about baking pies and submitting them to others for judgment. I tried to keep things as fair as possible by being consistent. Every pie had the same crust and the same fruit. As for appearance — always a fun category at the fair — I put that to my Facebook friends to decide.
When the dust settled, I had a house full of pie and a satisfied look on my face. Below, you will find some of the results of my research. I’ve included recipes for two pies per category. I’ve also discussed the votes of my judges along with my own preferences (I didn’t think it was fair for me to vote because I knew what distinguished every pie from the other).
Because this topic proved so popular on Facebook, I’ve decided to break my contest into two parts. This week, it’s fruit pies (like we would judge at the fair). My next column will focus on cream pies, so be on the lookout for that in a couple of weeks.
Note: To save your oven, cover a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place it directly below your baking pie (I put it on the rack below). This will catch any drips that may come from the pie.
A word on the crust…
As I said above, I used the same pie crust recipe for each pie: an all-butter variety from Martha Stewart. It just provided a richer flavor and a great texture that served to complement whatever fruit it contained. That said, you can alter it, if you like, by substituting shortening for half of the butter. Or use your own recipe. There are so many good ones out there.
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, sliced into tablespoon-sized pieces
- ¼ to ½ cup ice water
I like to use a stand mixer to make a pie crust. You also may use the more traditional method of combining everything with a pastry blender. The steps are roughly the same.
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Cut in the butter until it is worked into the flour (there should still be chunks of butter visible in the flour, however). Add the ice water about 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together (I sometimes needed a little more than half-a-cup).
Divide the dough in half and press into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour before you are ready to assemble your pie.
Makes enough crust for a double-crust pie.
Peach Pie a la Betty Crocker
In a blind test between this pie and one suggested by the website Gimme Some Oven, Betty came out on top. Peach lovers said it had more of a “peachy” taste to it. I like the recipe because it’s simple.
Ingredients:
- Crust for a 9-inch double-crust pie
- 5 cups peeled and sliced peaches
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons butter
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out half of your pie crust to about a 10-inch round (it should be about 1/8-inch thick). Place it into a 9-inch pie plate.
Combine all of the ingredients except for the 2 tablespoons of butter in a large bowl. Stir well.
Spoon your filling into your prepared pie crust. Dot the top with the 2 tablespoons of butter. Roll out your second crust and place over the filled pie plate. Trim and crimp the edges to seal. Cut a few slits in the top crust to vent steam. Brush the top with cream or beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake until the crust is brown and the juices are beginning to bubble through the vents. This will take 35-45 minutes. Allow your pie to cool a bit before cutting.
Peach Pie a la Gimme Some Oven
While most of the voters preferred the Betty Crocker pie, I liked this one. I liked the mix of white and brown sugars as well as the hit of bourbon. If you don’t want to use bourbon, leave it out. I would substitute a tablespoon of vanilla extract instead.
Ingredients:
- Crust for one 9-inch double-crust pie
- 5 cups peaches, peeled and sliced
- ½ cup white sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup bourbon
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Cream and sugar for sprinkling over the top
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Roll out one of your pie crusts to approximately a 10-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie plate.
Combine both sugars, the flour, the cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a small bowl. Stir to combine. In a larger bowl, combine the peaches with the lemon juice and zest as well as the bourbon. Stir to combine. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the peaches and stir until peaches are thoroughly coated. Pour the peach filling into your prepared pie crust. Top with the 1 tablespoon of butter.
Roll out the second crust and spread it over the filling. Trim and crimp the edges to seal. Cut slits in the top crust to vent the steam. Brush the top crust with cream and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 30 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 25-30 minutes.
Allow the pie to cool somewhat before slicing.
Sour Cherry Pie a la Martha Stewart
I love sour cherry pie. After apple, it is probably my favorite fruit pie. Sadly, I have found that many people are skeptical of cherry pie, largely because they were raised on pies made with canned cherry filling. Trust me: Fresh cherries make all of the difference.
But you have to use sour or tart cherries. They are out of season right now, but you can find them frozen in the supermarket.
I made two cherry pies, and this one emerged as the favorite. It was also my choice between the two. I like the subtle hit of vanilla. It’s also sweet, but not too sweet — the perfect balance for a cherry pie.
Ingredients:
- Crust for a 9-inch double-crust pie
- 1 cup white sugar
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 ½ pounds frozen sour cherries
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
- Cream and sugar for sprinkling on top of the pie
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll out one pie crust to a 10-inch round and place in your 9-inch pie plate.
Combine the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Place your cherries in a large bowl and stir in the vanilla extract. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the top and stir to combine. Pour into your prepared pie plate. Dot with the 2 tablespoons of butter.
Roll out the second crust and place it over the filled pie plate. Trim and crimp the top crust to seal. Cut slits in the top crust to vent steam. Brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for about 90 minutes. Check the pie after 45 minutes. If the top crust is browning too quickly, carefully place a piece of aluminum foil over the top to protect it while the pie bakes.
Let your pie cool completely before cutting.
Cherry Pie a la Kate McDermott
This is a neat recipe from McDermott that appeared in her book, “Art of Pie.” I like the inclusion of orange liqueur, which adds another noticeable layer to the flavor of the cherries.
Ingredients:
- Crust for a 9-inch double-crust pie
- 1 ½ pounds sour or tart cherries
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1/3 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon orange liqueur (like Cointreau or Triple Sec)
- 5 tablespoons corn starch
- 1 tablespoon butter, cut into pieces
- Cream and sugar for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roll out half of your pie crust to a 10-inch round. Place in a 9-inch pie plate.
Combine the cherries, sugar, lemon juice, nutmeg, salt, liqueur and cornstarch in a big bowl. Stir to coat the fruit. Pour into the prepared pie crust and dot the top with the 1 tablespoon of butter.
Roll out the second crust and place it over your filled pie plate. Trim and crimp the edges to seal. Cut slits in the top crust to vent steam. Brush the top crust with cream and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for another 50 minutes. If the top crust is browning too quickly, cover it lightly with aluminum foil.
Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool completely before cutting.
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The Link LonkJuly 30, 2020 at 11:32PM
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No pie-filled summer events to go to? Make these fruit pies from home. - Iowa City Press Citizen
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