Bakers of all skill levels are invited to enter the 18^th Annual APC/Crisco^® National Pie Championships^® to be held April 27-29, 2012 in Orlando. Entry forms will be posted soon at www.piecouncil.org. Those who prefer to appreciate the nuances of pie without all the work won’t want to miss the APC Great American Pie Festival sponsored by Crisco^®, featuring the Never Ending Pie Buffet, held April 28-29, 2012 in nearby Celebration, Fla.

Here is a winning recipe from last year, courtesy of The American Pie Council.

Laura’s Sticky Toffee Pudding Apple Pie
Linda Hundt, DeWitt, Mich.
Crisco^® Innovation Best of Show
Professional
2011 American Pie Council Crisco^® National Pie Championships

Pie Crust
1 ½ cups of flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup cold butter cut in small pieces
½ cup of refrigerated Crisco® shortening

Mix all above ingredients in Kitchenaid style mixer on medium speed swiftly until crust appears “pea-like.” Carefully sprinkle water in crust mix until it starts to become moistened and gathers together. Pat into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for at least one half hour. Roll out on to floured surface and make and crimp crust. Freeze until ready to use.

Apple Filling
Five medium to large Michigan Cortland, Ida Red Apples, peeled, thinly sliced, diced
1 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons flour
4 Tablespoons melted butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
Cook above ingredients in large pan on medium heat until cooked halfway. Stir in 3/4 cup homemade caramel until melted.

Homemade caramel – recipe below
Praline pecans – recipe below

Sticky Toffee Pudding Filling
½ cup praline pecans
1 stick of butter softened
½ cup brown sugar
2 T heavy cream
1 T lemon juice
1 egg – beaten
½ cup self-rising flour
Mix above ingredients just until blended.

Crumb topping
¾ cup of flour
1 cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 stick of butter softened

Mix all together all crumb topping ingredients by hand or a pastry blender until fine and crumbly.

Directions:
Spread sticky toffee pudding mixture on bottom of crust. Put apple mixture over pudding mixture. Sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake in preheated 400 degree oven for one hour or until knife easily slides into center of pie with no resistance. If pie becomes too brown before done, turn down oven to 350 degrees to finish baking and cover with foil completely.

Top with a generous amount of homemade caramel and praline pecans.

Homemade Caramel
1- 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ stick butter
1 Tablespoon real vanilla extract

In heavy 3 quart saucepan, combine all ingredients, but vanilla. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, covering all parts of bottom of pan with wire whisk to avoid scorching. Stir until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, constantly stirring, until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat to low and continue stirring until caramel reaches 244F on a candy thermometer or firm-ball stage. Pour in glass container. Cool to use.

Praline Pecans
1 cup of chopped pecans
2 T butter
2 T brown sugar
Melt butter in small pan on medium –low heat until melted. Add pecans and sugar and stir ingredients until you start smelling the nuts roasting. Take off heat and cool. Crumble.

***

The American Pie Council® (APC), the only organization committed to maintaining America’s pie heritage, offers pie lovers plenty of reasons and ways to celebrate. The APC offers recipes on its website www.piecouncil.org and many APC members offer activities, specials and more in celebration of the special day. The APC is comprised of amateur, professional and commercial pie manufacturer members. Any amateur pie maker or pie lover can join for just $40 for a lifetime membership.

photo courtesy of Pillsbury.com

INGREDIENTS
1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
1 container (16 oz) chocolate creamy frosting
Candy corn
Orange decorating icing
Black decorating gel
Miniature candy-coated chocolate baking bits

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Bake cookies as directed on roll. Cool completely, about 20 minutes.
2. Spoon chocolate frosting into resealable food-storage plastic bag; seal bag. Cut small hole in bottom corner of bag. On each cookie, pipe frosting on outer edge of half of cookie. Arrange candy corn over frosting for feathers.
3. Pipe orange icing onto each cookie to resemble turkey face and feet. Use orange icing to attach baking bits to turkey face for eyes. Pipe black gel on baking bits for centers of eyes.

This recipe is courtesy of Pillsbury.com.

DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper, or spray with CRISCO® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Place melted butter in shallow dish. Place granulated sugar in another shallow dish.
2. Unroll dough; separate into breadsticks. Dip both sides of each breadstick in butter; coat with sugar. Twist each breadstick; place on cookie sheet. Press down ends firmly.
3. Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until golden brown.
4. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix glaze ingredients. Remove rolls from oven. Immediately drizzle glaze over rolls. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool 5 minutes. Serve warm.

Image credit: gravityx9

Whether you’re planning a luau party or feeling a little tropical, the pineapple is an ideal fruit choice for dessert. With a great deal of juiciness, pineapples provide a flavorful balance of sweetness and tartness. Pineapples are available all year round in the grocery store, but the peak season runs from March through June. To enjoy a tropical sweet treat, you can start by adding pineapple topping to a banana split or consider one of the following ideas for pineapple desserts.

Pineapple Cakes

A favorite cake for pineapple lovers is the Pineapple Upside Down Cake, which is made in a pan with a curved bottom. After cooking, the cake is turned over and left to set, where it is later eaten in an upside-down position. Typical ingredients include butter, brown sugar, yellow cake mix, vegetable oil, eggs, and of course, sliced pineapple. Some people will drizzle on a caramel sauce afterwards, sprinkle on brown sugar, or decorate with maraschino cherries. Pineapple and coconut often make an ideal combination for desserts, including cake. One approach is to use a can of coconut frosting to top a cake baked with crushed pineapple.

Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream

Preheat your over to 350 degrees and have a greased baking dish on hand. In a saucepan, combine two tablespoons of margarine, ¼ cup of brown sugar, and ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon. Stir the ingredients over low heat until the mixture starts to boil. Add one 8-ounce can of drained pineapple chucks and ½ cup of coconut. Stir until coated, and then pour into the baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook for five minutes. Spoon the mixture into bowls and place a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a topping.

Syrupy Pineapple Slices

Drizzle maple syrup over pineapple slices, and broil until they start to brown. You can eat as is or in addition to a cup of yogurt.

Pineapple Cheesecake

Cheesecake is a popular dessert in the United States that comes in an array of unique flavors. To make pineapple cheesecake, you may drain crushed pineapple and add to the cream cheese mixture before transferring to the crust. Some people will decorate the finished product with sliced pineapple rings.

Grilled Pineapple

Grilled pineapple is a dessert on its own. Some people dip grilled pineapple rings in chocolate or add to a fruit kebob with grapes, peaches, strawberries, cherries, and apple slices. You can brush the fruit with honey during the last few minutes of grilling to enhance the sweetness.

1. Cherry Clafoutis

Bring the taste of the French country to your table with cherry clafoutis (or clafouti). Tradition calls for the first cherries of the season with fruit that is left unpitted. This way, the natural almond flavor is released when baking. Today, using pitted cherries makes it easier to bake and eat the dessert. Clafoutis is a pudding dessert with sweet cherries that are covered by a thin batter (similar to pancakes) that is baked in the oven. When the batter sets, the edges become slightly puffed and browned. When serving the dessert, dust with confectioner’s (powdered or icing) sugar.

2. Cherry Turnover

Turnovers are the fruit-filled pastries you often see at the local bakery. Cherry is one of the most popular flavors for this dessert. You can make a quick version with one (8-ounce) package of refrigerated crescent rolls, one cup of cherry pie filling, ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, and one tablespoon of milk. Unroll the dough and separate into eight triangles. Create four squares by pressing the seams of two triangles together and rolling into shape. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet. Spoon ¼ cup of pie filling in one corner of each square, and then fold to make triangles. Pinch to seal. Bake the dough at 375 degrees F for 10 to 12 minutes (or until they turn a golden color). Mix the sugar and milk together, and drizzle over turnover once they are out of the oven. Serve warm.

3. Cherry Tart

The Joy of Baking offers a recipe for a Cherry Tart made with frangipane (almond cream) that combines granulated white sugar, unsalted butter, egg, pure vanilla extract, and almond meal (flour). The creamy combination of sugar, butter, eggs, and almond meal creates a tasty flavor with the cherries that is placed in a crisp yet crumbly pastry crust. The recipe calls for pitted sweet Bing cherries. When buying the fruit, seek out plump, shiny fruit with a deep red (almost black) color. Stems should still be attached and the fruit needs firmness with no soft spots.

4. Sour Cherry Soup

For a cherry dessert with European flair, you may combine sour cream (or sweet cream), sugar, and whole fresh sour cherries to create a sweet soup. Served chilled, usually people make this sweet treat during the summertime when cherries are ripe. There are also variations that include different wine or sherry.

5. Cherries Jubilee

Liqueur is used to make this cherry dessert that is traditionally flambéed (set afire), and then served as a sauce over vanilla ice cream.

Other cherry desserts: