PORT ROYAL — Did you see all those apple pies at the Juniata County Fair? The area’s hometown bakers created those special pies for competition in the annual Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest. This year’s Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest winner was Rickee Miller from Shermansdale.
Caramel Apple/Pear Streusel Top Pie
Pie crust:
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
¾ cup butter flavored Crisco
¼ cup cold butter (cubed)
6 Tbs cold water
1 Tbs white vinegar
1 egg beaten
Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening and butter until coarse crumbs form. Combine beaten egg
and water; add vinegar. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture with a fork. Divide dough into two balls (makes two crusts).
Streusel topping:
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup light brown sugar
Additional 1 Tbs sugar to sprinkle over the pie once crumbs on.
Combine the butter, flour and brown sugar with a pastry blender until crumbly.
Apple Filling:
4 cup light brown sugar
½ cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbs tapioca
5-6 cups sliced apples (Gala and Honeycrisp mixture)
1 cup sliced pears
1 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup caramel baking chips
Mix first four ingredients in a large bowl and set aside. Peel, core and thinly slice the apples and pears – toss with lemon
juice. Toss the apple and pear slices with sugar flour mixture until coated and allow to sit for 15-20 minutes. Just before
adding to pie crust, mix in the % cup of butterscotch chips.
Line 9 or 10-inch pie plate with one crust. Mound apple/pear mixture in the crust. Sprinkle streusel topping over the
heaped apples/pear mixture-press lightly. Sprinkle the pie with 1 Tbs sugar.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 45-60 minutes – until the filling is bubbly. Remove from oven and cool
completely on a cooling rack
More than 100 fairs across the state are offering cash prizes as part of the Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest. Juniata County Fair’s contest is a preliminary competition that leads to the selection of the final Blue Ribbon Apple Pie winner to be held each January at the Pennsylvania State Farm Show. This year’s contest was sponsored by The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania State Association of County Fairs.
