{Perfect pies}: Sweet or savory

Last year {2012) for the first time my local farmer’s market held a Pie Contest.  I was bold enough to participate.  See the {Fruit} pie I entered and its recipe, HERE.

I missed this year competition so I can’t offer any pictures, however I have recipes of last year and this year first-place winners.

Uber Guber Pie, by Greg Cornelius, 2012 first-place winner @ Woodstock

Filling:

2 eggs
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chunks
1 (9 inch) pie shell
1 cup salted peanuts

Caramel:

2 tablespoons water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Vanilla Bean Whipped Cream:

1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon ground vanilla bean (may substitute 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 F.
In a mixer, combine eggs, brown sugar, vanilla extract, corn syrup and peanut butter until well combined.
Place chocolate chunks in the bottom of pie crust and pout filling over the chocolate.
Evenly spread peanuts over top and bake for 35 minutes.

While baking, prepare caramel. (be careful working with molten sugar as it can cause severe burns)
Add water and sugar to a heavy saucepan and simmer on low heat until it becomes a medium amber color.
Add butter and heavy cream, and stir with a wooden spoon.  Add sea salt.
Evenly drizzle over pie.  Let cool completely.

While cooling, prepare whipped cream.
Add sugar, cream and vanilla to a mixing bowl.  Whipped until medium peaks form.
Keep chilled until ready to serve with whipped cream.

Banana Cream pie with Salted Bourbon Caramel, by Nicole Reale, 2013 first-place winner @ Woodstock

Peanut Shortbread Crust

2-1/2 cups unsalted, dry roasted peanuts
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) un-satled butter, room temperature
2 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Pulse peanuts in food processor until coarsely ground.
Transfer 1/4 cup ground nuts to a small bowl, cover and set aside for garnish.
Pulse remaining peanuts until peanut butter forms, about 2 minutes.

Whisk flour, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl.
Using electric mixer, beat sugar, peanut butter and butter until well combined and mixture resembles wet sand, 2-3 minutes.
Beat in egg yolks and vanilla, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl, until well blended, about 3 minutes (mixture will be lumpy).
Gradually add dry ingredients, beat just to combine.
Note: mixture will be crumbly, do not over mix or crust will be though.
gather though with your hands, place in a deep pie dish and press evenly onto bottom and up sides.
bake until edges are deep golden brown, 15-17 minutes.
Let cool on a wire rack.

Vanilla Cream:

1-1/2 cups milk
5 large egg yolks, at room temperature
2 tablespoons shifted cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 tablespoon heavy cream

Heat milk in a medium stainless steel saucepan over medium heat and bring almost to a boil.  Remove from heat.
Whisk together egg yolks, cornstarch and sugar in a bowl until combined.
Slowly pour hot milk mixture into egg mixture.
Pour mixture back into pan.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens, 5-7 minutes.
Remove from heat once mixture reaches consistency of pudding.
Stir in vanilla, butter and heavy cream.
Cover with plastic wrap, make sure wrap sits directly on custard, and refrigerate until cold.

 Salted Bourbon Caramel Sauce:

1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1/2 tablespoon fleur de Sel or Maldon sea salt flakes
1 tablespoon bourbon or rum, optional
Heat sugar over medium-high heat in the bottom of a heavy 2 or 3 quart saucepan.
When sugar starts to melt, start whisking it.
Note: sugar will clump up but keep whisking, it will continue to melt.
When sugar is melted, stop whisking.  Just swirl the pan to move the sugar around.
Continue cooking sugar until it reaches a deep amber color.
Note: make sure you watch your pan closely.  This is where it is easy to burn the caramel. You want the caramel to reach 350 F.
Carefully add butter.  Whisk until butter is melted.  If the sugar gets stuck to the whisk, you can switch to a wooden spoon.
Remove pan from heat and slowly pour in heavy cream.
Whisk until cream is incorporated and caramel is smooth.
Whisk in Fleur de Sel or Maldon sea salt flakes and bourbon or rum, if using.
Let caramel sauce cool for about 10 minutes in pan.
Pour caramel into a large jar and cool to room temperature.

 Whipped Cream:

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 bananas, or to taste.

Using an electric mixer or whisk, beat cream and powdered sugar until medium-stiff peaks form.
Cover and chill.

Reserve a small amount of caramel sauce to garnish the pie top, and pour remaining caramel sauce evenly over the bottom of peanut crust.
Slice bananas into 1/4 inch thick rounds.
Layer half of the bananas over caramel.
Top with half of the vanilla cream.
Top with remaining bananas.
Top bananas with remaining vanilla cream.
Garnish with whipped cream and reserved caramel sauce and ground peanuts.

For more delicious pie recipes from Georgia’s chefs and bakers, visit www.georgiamagazine.org.

Apple pie, Triple Berry pie, Cherry pie and Strawberry apple pie

Pictures source: Daisy Lane Cakes | Instructables | Makezine | Family feed bag

Don’t forget to visit Bakerella for Pie on a stick.  How about you, Do you have a winning pie recipe you can share?