Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and at this time of year, talk turns to pies. Some inspiration in that regard was on offer recently as some of South Florida’s best bakers got together at Las Olas Oceanside Park – the LOOP – for a pie-judging competition as part of the park’s Pumpkins & Palm Trees fall event.
Judges included a number of top local media professionals including NBC6’s Kristin Sanchez and Telemundo 51’s Mariana Rodriguez. Fort Lauderdale Magazine editor Erik Petersen also took part in the judging, and was impressed by the quality of the competitors.
“I never, ever turn down pie,” he said, “and that worked out really well for me on this occasion. Fort Lauderdale’s pie game is clearly on point.”
The winners were:
Professional / Cottage Industry
1st Place: Isabelle from The Pie Inc’s Chicken and Cream Cheese Pie
2nd Place: Heather from Brookie’s Cookie Bakery’s Bavarian Berry Pie
3rd Place: Lolita from Lo’s Pie Shop’s Key Lime Pie Topped With Blueberry Whipped Cream
Culinary Student Division
1st Place: Miramar High School’s Chicken Pot Pie
2nd Place: Coral Springs High School’s Chocolate Mousse Pie with Raspberry Gelee
3rd Place: Deerfield Beach High School’s Seafood Pie
And finally, here’s a treat you can try at home – the chicken pot pie recipe from the team at Miramar High School that one first place in the schools division.
The Dish: Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients:
Pie Dough
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more to dust, *measured correctly
- 2 Tbsp Toasted Rosemary
- 2 Tbsp toasted Thyme
- 1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 lb. COLD unsalted butter, (2 sticks) diced into 1/4″ pieces
- 1/2 lb. COLD unsalted butter, (2 sticks) diced into 1/4″ pieces
- 7 Tbsp ice water, (7 to 8 Tbsp)
Chicken
- 2 lb. Chicken Breast
- 1 -2 Tbsp. Garlic powder, onion powder
- 1 Tbsp rotisserie chicken seasoning
- 2 tsp roasted garlic
- 3 Tbsp Italian blends
- ½ tsp cayenne
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Splash of chicken stock
Filling
- 6 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 lb. Cooked chicken (we cooked it before hand or you can use left overs)
- 1 medium yellow onion, (1 cup chopped)
- 2 medium carrots, (1 cup) thinly sliced
- 8 oz white or brown mushrooms, (stems discarded), sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp fine sea salt, or to taste, plus kosher salt to garnish
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, plus more to garnish
- 1 cup frozen peas, do not thaw
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped, plus more to garnish
- 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
Instructions:
1. Place flour, sugar and salt into the bowl and combine.
2. Add cold diced butter and use pastry blender to combine the mixture until coarse crumbs form with some pea-sized pieces then stop mixing. Mixture should remain dry and powdery.
3. Add 7 Tbsp ice water and mix with scraper or hands just until moist clumps or small balls form. Press a piece of dough between your fingertips and if the dough sticks together, you have added enough water. If not, add more water a teaspoon full at a time. Be careful not to add too much water or the dough will be sticky and difficult to roll out.
4. Transfer dough to a clean work surface and gather dough together into a ball (it should not be smooth and DO NOT knead the dough). Divide dough in half and flatten to form 2 disks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour before using in recipes that call for pie crust
5. Take the chicken breast and cut into strips and mix all seasons together with the splash of stock to help it stick to the chicken.
6. Bake at 350 F for 20 minutes (you want to under cook it a little since it will be cooked again) Save the liquored to be added to filling later.
7. Cut chicken up and set aside
8. In a Dutch oven or pot, melt 6 Tbsp butter. Add diced onions and carrots and sauté 8 minutes over medium heat until soft.
9. Add sliced mushrooms and minced garlic and sauté another 5 minutes until mushrooms are softened.
10. Add 1/3 cup flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, and 1/2 cup heavy cream then bring to a simmer and cook 1 minute or until mixture is a thick gravy consistency. Add 2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, or season to taste. It should be well-seasoned.
11. Add cooked chicken, frozen peas, and 1/4 cup parsley. Stir to combine then remove from heat and cool slightly while you roll out the crusts. Roll 1 chilled pie crust disk into a 12” diameter circle. Carefully transfer it into a 9” pie dish. Spoon the pie filling over the bottom crust.
12. Roll the second disk of pie dough into a 10” diameter circle and place over the pie filling. Fold the excess dough behind the bottom crust then crimp the pie crusts together to seal. Use a sharp paring knife to cut 5 small slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush the top of the crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle lightly with coarse salt and pepper.
13. Bake at 425˚F for 30-35 minutes or until top crust is golden brown. If edges are browning too fast, cover with a pie shield or make a shield by cutting a 4” diameter circle from the center of a sheet of foil and placing that over the pie. Once out of the oven, rest for 15 minutes to cool slightly before slicing.
