This is the first of 3 blog posts featuring our semifinalists and their pie stories: Lindsey Wahowiak (Fruits of the Forest), Tiffany Hall (Peach Cobbler), Matt Gyory (Raspberry Rhubarb Pie), Annalee Ash (Old-Fashioned Vinegar Pie). Enjoy!
FRUITS OF THE FOREST PIE
Lindsey Wahowiak
Health writer
Washington, DC
I hated pie growing up (impossible but true!), but discovered this pie while living alone in Michigan’s Thumb area one summer. I was living by myself for the first time, in unfamiliar territory, working at a job I wasn’t sure I was much good at. I walked into a little mom-and-pop restaurant looking for some comfort food. The woman working the counter told me she knew exactly what I needed, and brought me their “fruits of the forest” pie. Sweet and tart, warm and flaky and gooey, she told me they just loaded it with whatever was in season. This pie and my new town suddenly felt like home to me.
PEACH COBBLER
Tiffany Hall
Student
Brentwood, Maryland
This peach cobbler has been in my family for as long as I can remember. It is absolutely one of my favorite desserts that my grandmother makes. I decided to add my own touches with brown sugar, fresh peaches and dough made from scratch. I believe I was successful but there is nothing like my grandma’s!
RASPBERRY RHUBARB PIE
Matt Gyory
Consultant
Washington, DC
My pie combines two of my favorite fruits/vegetables. My dad grew raspberries in our backyard, so I always had a fondness for the tart berries and never quite understood complaints about seeds. As for rhubarb, I just decided one day I wanted to try making rhubarb pie (no strawberries necessary) and went for it using fresh stalks from the Dupont Circle Farmers market. The pie crust recipe I found online and it has been pretty foolproof, though I always need more water than the original recipe calls for. The pie originated as an entry into the 2010 DC State Fair at Columbia Heights day. I decided to combine two fruits/vegetables I loved into a tart, but pleasing pie. The two work well together and even though I didn’t win, I found a pie that definitely pleased my friends. The hardest part of making the pie was figuring out how much flour and tapioca to use so the pie wouldn’t ooze on a hot August day. On the day of the event, mine was one of few pies that wasn’t spreading itself out all over the plates. I didn’t bake a winner that day, but I found a pie I love to bake.
OLD-FASHIONED VINEGAR PIE
Annalee Ash
Infant, Youth & Family Advocate
Washington, DC
This is an old recipe from farm wives who needed a dessert that could be whipped up quickly with ingredients that are always on hand for unexpected company or to provide a delicious big-farm mid-day dinner finish for extra help working on the farm.
It actually tastes like a lemon chess pie, and I very seldom ever tell what exactly it is until someone’s already tried the first bite. It’s quick, easy and delicious! And very pretty too…..Very suitable for a fancy meal’s end with company – or the preacher – and it’s easy and quick!