American Pie Council - Americas Best Pies: Nearly 200 Recipes Youll Love

Americas Best Pies Nearly 200 Recipes for Pies Youll Love American Pie Council with Linda Hoskins Editors Note: Crisco is a trademark of The J.M. Smucker Company. The Great American Pie Festival and the National Pie Championships are trademarks of American Pie Council. Copyright 2012 by the American Pie Council and Linda Hoskins All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fundraising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or . Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation. Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file. ISBN: 978-1-62087-165-2 Printed in China W hen I tell people Im the executive director of the American Pie Council, they think Im kidding.

What a great job, they say. And it is a great job! The people I meetfrom those who work at commercial pie manufacturing facilities to restaurant chefs to home bakersare terrific, and we all have one thing in commonWe love pie! The American Pie Council, founded in 1983, is the only organization dedicated solely to pie, Americas favorite dessert. We believe in the total enjoyment, consumption, and the pursuit of pie. We believe that the art of pie making shouldnt be forgotten. We believe that the enjoyment of pie should be continued. We believe that the search for the perfect pie should be eternal.

And it is in this spirit that we hold the American Pie Council Crisco National Pie Championships every year to determine whos making the best pies in America. In the months before the event, two hundred judges (food professionals, chefs, cookbook authors, food editors, suppliers to the pie industry, and every day pie lovers) are chosen, and in April each year, pie bakers from all over the country descend upon Celebration, FL, to compete. Pies are entered into five divisions: commercial, independent/retail bakers, amateur bakers, professional chefs, and junior chefs, and then further divided into price point and flavor categories. Then the judging begins. Close to 1,000 pies are judged each year over the course of three days, each entrant hoping his or her pie will be the best! This book is a compilation of nearly 200 winning pie recipes from the American Pie Council Crisco National Pie Championships and is dedicated to pie lovers everywhere. I hope you enjoy! To learn more about the American Pie Council and membership, visit www.piecouncil.org AMERICAN PIE COUNCILS TIPS
FOR A GREAT PIE 1.

Read the recipe in its entirety before beginning. Make sure you have all the ingredients and utensils, and make sure that you understand all the directions. Many mistakes have been made by skipping steps. 2. Cold ingredients are essential to making a great pie crust. Keeping the shortening cold ensures a nice flaky crust! It helps to use cold bowls and utensils, and its even a good idea to have cold hands before handling the dough.

In addition, be sure to chill the dough for at least an hour before rolling it out. 3. Dont overwork or overhandle the dough. Your shortening/butter should be coated with the flour mixture, not blended with it. Overprocessing causes gluten to form, a substance that toughens the dough. 4.

Make sure that all your ingreidents are really fresh. Try making fruit pies when the fruit is in season to ensure a wonderful pie. 5. To ensure that your bottom crust is baked properly, bake the pie in the lower third of the oven. You may have to cover the edges with foil or a crust protector to avoid overbrowning the edges. Apple pie is Americas favorite pie! There are so many varieties of apples with distinct flavors that make them the perfect ingredient.

They can be cooked with cherries, pecans, pumpkin, and even coconut. Some of our best baking varieties include Gala, Rome, Northern Spy, Fuji, and McIntosh. Denise Donohue Executive Director, Michigan Apple Committee Karen Panosian, Celebration, FL 2007 APC Crisco National Pie Championships Amateur Division 1st Place Apple CRUST 2 cups all-purpose flour teaspoon salt cup Crisco shortening 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 tablespoons cold water Additional milk, sugar, and butter FILLING 8 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 2 tablespoons flour 1 cup sugar teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon ginger teaspoon nutmeg teaspoon allspice 2 tablespoons butter cup caramel sauce For the crust: Mix flour and salt in large bowl. Blend in Crisco and add vanilla extract and cold water. Mix until dough is moist. Form dough into a ball and divide in half. For the filling: Preheat oven to 400F. For the filling: Preheat oven to 400F.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour, sugar, mixed spices, and butter. Add apple slices and mix well. Roll out bottom crust on wax paper, sprinkling the dough and wax paper with flour. Lift dough into 9-inch pie pan and gently press into the bottom of the pan. Place dots of butter on top of bottom crust. Add filling and dot with butter.

Roll out top crust on wax paper, sprinkling flour on the wax paper and dough. Cut the dough into approximately -inch strips. Lay the first two strips in an X shape in the center of the pie and lay the rest of the strips around the pie in alternating directions, overlapping and weaving each time. Trim the dough edges and fold the edge of the top crust lattice over the pie pan edge and pinch to seal. Brush top crust lattice with milk and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake for about 50 minutes or until crust is golden.

Just before serving, drizzle caramel sauce on top. Appealing Apple Caramel Pie Sarah Spaugh, Winston-Salem, NC 2004 APC Crisco National Pie Championships Amateur Division 2nd Place Apple CRUST 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon salt cup butter-flavored Crisco cup cold butter, cut into pieces 6 tablespoons cold water 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 egg, beaten FILLING 7 cups apples, peeled, cored, and sliced cup white sugar cup brown sugar cup apple juice 1 teaspoon cinnamon teaspoon allspice 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 tablespoon maple syrup Half and half to brush over crust For the crust: Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening and butter until coarse crumbs form. Combine water and beaten egg; add vinegar. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture with a fork. Divide dough into 2 balls.

Roll one out for bottom crust. Roll out the other and make leaf cutouts for top of pie. For the filling: Preheat oven to 400F. Combine apples, spices, and sugars in a mixing bowl. Combine cornstarch and apple juice in a small saucepan. Bring to a slight boil.

Add butter and maple syrup. Pour over apples and mix. Slowly heat mixture in a large saucepan until apples are barely tender. Spoon filling into unbaked pie shell. Moisten edges of crust with water. To assemble top crust over filling, start from the outside edge and cover the apples with a ring of leaves.