A Brewer woman beat out all but one other in her category in Crisco’s 2010 American Pie Council National Pie Championships — Sweet Potato Pie, a traditionally Southern favorite. Tricia Largay’s Sweet Potato Pie with Pecan Topping won second place in its pie category in the Amateur Chef division, beaten only by Evette Rahman of Orlando, Fla. The National Pie Championship, held this year April 23-25 in Orlando, is an annual event that brings in more than 27,000 spectators and 400 judges, in 15 pie categories in four divisions: Junior, Amateur, Professional and Commercial. Largay maintains that the reason her pie tasted so good was the fact that she used fresh eggs from her pet chicken, Bertha. “I really do think there’s a difference in how it tastes,” said Largay, a real estate agent. “Happy, healthy chickens make better-tasting eggs, and my co-workers say that the things I bake taste even better now.” Largay won a ribbon, a gift basket from Crisco, and $150 for her second-place pie, as well as bragging rights. An episode of “Food Network Challenge” based on the event will be broadcast on the Food Network at 7 tonight, at 6 p.m. May 15, and at 7 p.m. May 16.
Serves 6
Crust:
1½ cup flour, sifted
½ tsp. salt
½ cup butter-flavored Crisco
3-4 Tbs. cold water
Filling:
2½ cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
Þ tsp. cloves
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. ginger
1 tsp. apple spice
½ tsp. vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
ª cup evaporated milk
Topping and on bottom crust:
¼ cup brown sugar
1 Tbs. butter
¼ cup chopped pecans
For crust: Combine flour and salt in bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until crumbly. Sprinkle on water by the tablespoon, stir with fork to form a ball. Wrap in waxed paper. Chill, roll out on waxed paper with floured rolling pin. Lay into 9-inch pie pan.
For filling and topping: In small dish combine brown sugar and butter, mix until crumbly. Sprinkle half of pecans on crust bottom. Reserve 2 tbs. for topping and sprinkle the rest over pecans on crust bottom.
In bowl, add mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, spices and vanilla. Mix well. Add eggs and milk. Mix well. Pour into pie shell. Sprinkle topping and pecans over filling. Cover fluted crust rim with foil strips to bake. Bake in 425 F oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 F for 20 minutes. Cool completely.
You’ve heard of “Operation Dumbo Drop.” Now get ready for Operation Cookie Drop. Marnee’s Cookies in Bath, a bakery and gourmet cookie shop, is rallying bakers and troop supporters around the state to send cookies to troops overseas as a Memorial Day gesture of thanks. Cookies may be donated in two ways. Bakers can bring their homemade cookies to Marnee’s Cookie Bistro at 23 Elm St. in Bath between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. May 27 through June 2, or nonbakers can buy Marnee’s cookies at a 20 percent discount by June 2. Marnee and any interested volunteers will pack up the cookies to mail between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. May 27-June 2. They will be shipped the first week of June. For information about Operation Cookie Drop and about Marnee’s Cookies in general, visit www.marnees.com.
A heads-up for Bangor-area fiddlehead fans: The Hammond Street restaurant that shares a name with the coiled green fern is offering specials featuring the Maine delicacy all this month. The Fiddlehead Restaurant, open 4 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday at 84 Hammond St., is offering a wide array of dishes over the next few weeks, or until the fiddleheads run out. Some featured items include shrimp and grits made with andouille sausage, peppers and onions with a fiddlehead and corn salad; red roasted beet, smoked trout and fiddlehead salad; and fennel pollen dusted, pan-seared rainbow trout with sauteed baby bok choy, edamame, fiddleheads and Chinese sausage. You’ve never had fiddleheads like this before. Pair your meal with a Maine martini or Maine margarita (hint: Both use Maine’s most popular liquor) for a truly Pine Tree State experience. For information, visit www.thefiddleheadrestaurant.com.
