Sharon Jasper of Bartlett has won the blue ribbon in the Delta Fairs’ Pie Baking Championship for her Lemon Raspberry Cheese Pie. Her pie was inspired by all her favorite flavors. Being retired, Sharon has time to focus on her hobbies, quilting and baking, as well as spending time with her children and grandchildren. For her pie Sharon won a $200 cash prize and an engraved pie server.
Pillsbury Pie Baking Championship
Recipe by Sharon Jasper of Bartlett, 1st Place, 2012 Delta Fair & Music Festival
Lemon Raspberry Cheese Pie
Crust:
2 (9-inch) deep dish Pillsbury Pet-Ritz Frozen Pie Crusts
Cookie Layer:
1-1/2 cups shortbread cookies (approx. 14)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel, finely grated
Lemon Filling:
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 ounces white chocolate, melted
2 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon peel, finely grated
Raspberry Curd:
12 ounces frozen raspberries, thawed
4 large egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon lemon peel, finely grated
Topping:
3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
Powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
For Crust: Bake both Pillsbury Pet-Ritz frozen pie crusts for 10 minutes.
For Cookie Layer: Mix shortbread cookie crumbs, butter and lemon peel together. Divide mixture in half and press into the bottom of both pie shells. Bake both pie shells for an additional 8 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F.
For Lemon Filling: Beat the cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Gradually beat in cooled white chocolate. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in whipping cream, lemon juice, vanilla and lemon peel. Divide mixture in half and pour into prepared pie shells and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Shield crust edges with aluminum foil if it gets too brown. Remove from oven and cool slightly while preparing raspberry curd.
For Raspberry Curd: Place raspberries in a strainer over a bowl. Press berries with the back of a spoon to extract juice and pulp until you have 3/4 to 1 cup juice/pulp. Discard seeds. In a large saucepan, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until well blended. Stir in the raspberry juice/pulp, butter and lemon peel. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and resembling a thin Hollandaise sauce. Do not allow to boil. Pour into a strainer and discard any residue. Divide curd mixture in half and pour over pie shells. Refrigerate until well-chilled.
For Topping: Whip cream and add powdered sugar to desired sweetness. Top pies with dollops of whipped cream.
Yields: 2 pies; Serves: 12 to 16.
She also won the blue ribbon in the Delta Fairs’ Creative Cookie & Dessert Contest for her peanut butter crunch bars.
Peanut Butter Crunch Bars
Winning recipe by Sharon Jasper
1 pound peanut butter sandwich cookies, coarsely crumbled
1 stick butter, melted
2 cups peanut butter chips
2/3 cup Karo Light Syrup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups Spanish peanuts
2 cups pretzels, lightly crushed
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray. Crush peanut butter sandwich cookies in a food processer until fine crumbs form. Add melted butter and process until crumbs clump together. Press crumbs into pan. Bake 15 minutes or until golden.
Melt peanut butter chips, Karo light syrup, butter, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium-low heat stirring until smooth, about 5 minutes. Spread 1/2 cup of the Karo mixture over the crumb base. Top mixture with marshmallows and chocolate chips and return to oven until marshmallows begin to puff, about 2 minutes. Do not allow marshmallows to brown.
Add peanuts and pretzels into remaining melted Karo mixture. Drop spoonfuls of the topping over the last layer and spread with a spatula sprayed with nonstick spray. Cool bars before cutting with a knife coated with nonstick spray.
Yields: approximately 28 bars
