An apple pie made with boiled apple cider and decorated with a pecan crumb topping caught the attention of judges at the Pa. Farm Show.
An Ultimate Apple Pie won Lorrie Rauch of Lehigh County first place in the Blue Ribbon Apple Pie Contest on Jan. 7. Her recipe calls for Cortland apples and a homemade caramel drizzle.
Entries were evaluated by a panel of judges on taste, presentation, consistency and other metrics.
Baking contests are one of the hallmarks of the Farm Show, which runs through Jan. 14 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg. Along with apple pies, judges scrutinize chocolate cakes and angel food cakes.
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Pa. Farm Show 2023 Opening Day
Contestants compete at county and community fairs to become eligible to compete on the statewide level at the Farm Show.
Here’s Rauch’s winning recipe:
The Ultimate Apple Pie
Serves: 8 people from 9-inch pie
Pie Crust: (recipe makes extra dough for decorating)
4 cups flour
1 egg, beaten
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1½ teaspoons salt
½ cup water
1 ½ cups lard ( Crisco)
In large bowl, sift together flour, sugar and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix together egg, vinegar and water. Add to flour mixture. Mix until dough is moistened enough so it holds together. When it is chilled, roll dough on a lightly floured surface.
Filling:
First peel and slice 8 cups of baking apples (Courtland preferred)
1 cup sugar
½ cup pie enhancer/thickener (King Arthur’s Baker Catalog)
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/3 cup boiled apple cider (King Arthur’s Baker Catalog)
Mix together sugar, pie enhancer and cinnamon. Gently toss apples until coated and then add boiled apple cider and gently mix. Let mixture set for 30 minutes. Place apple mixture into unbaked pie shell and dot with butter (approximately 1 tablespoon).
Crumb topping:
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup flour
2 tablespoons butter, softened
¼ cup oatmeal
¼ roasted chopped pecans
Mix together brown sugar, oatmeal, flour and pecans. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over apple mixture. Use some extra dough to decorate top of pie.
Brush milk over top of decorated dough and sprinkle with coarse gourmet sugar. Bake 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 60 minutes (cover edge of crust using pie edge cover during baking). Remove from oven. Cool on wire rack. Drizzle with homemade caramel (boil can of Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk for 3 hours). Dust crust edges with 1 ounce sugar. Enjoy!
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