Chamber Fall Pie Contest - A Sweet, Sweet Success

Local bakers wowed judges during the Fallon Chamber of Commerce Fall Pie Contest. On Saturday, November 16, six talented local non-cottage bakers entered their favorite family pie recipes, hoping to win a beautiful ceramic 2024 Pie Contest pie plate and to share their treasured recipes with Fallon Post readers.

Judges had difficulty narrowing down the winners for first and second place, as all entries were exceptionally delicious. This year's judges included Fallon Chief of Police Ron Wenger, Churchill County Sheriff Richard Hickox, retired NAS Fallon Public Information Officer Zip Upham (a volunteer extraordinaire and fabulous pie pâtissier in his own right), retired owner of the former Jo's Stillwater Tearoom Jo Petteruti (also a committed community volunteer), and NASF Executive Secretary Brandee Brown.

After much deliberation, the judges awarded first place to Summer Honecker, for her perfect-for-the-holidays delight, a lovely Spiced Caramel Pear Pie. Believe it or not, this is Summer first attempt at pie baking. 

Left, Summer with her newly awarded pie plate, photo by Leanna Lehman. Right, Summer with her top ranking pie. Photo by Bobbie Septien. 

Following closely behind Summer was Phil Moore with his outstanding T's Triple Chocolate Trilogy cream pie, a real chocolate lover's dream.

The Chamber of Commerce thanks all the contestants, as well as Memorie Boutique on Maine Street for hosting the event, and The Fallon Post for helping sponsor the inaugural contest.

For all Fallon bakers who would like to recreate these heavenly creations, here are the winning recipes:

First Place - Spiced Caramel Pear Pie by Summer Honecker

Crust

• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or ½ teaspoon fine sea salt)
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
• 1 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water (or more as needed)

1. Add 1 ½ cups flour, salt, and sugar to a food processor. Pulse 2-3 times until combined. Reserve the remaining cup of flour for later.
2. Scatter butter cubes over the flour and process until a dough or paste begins to form (about 15 seconds). There should be no uncoated flour.
3. Scrape the bowl, redistribute the flour-butter mixture, then add the remaining cup of flour. Pulse 4-5 times until the flour is evenly distributed. The dough should appear crumbly.
4. Transfer to a medium bowl and sprinkle ice water over the mixture. Start with 4 tablespoons and add more as needed. Using a rubber spatula, press the dough into itself until larger clusters form. If the dough holds together when pinched, it's ready.
5. Form the dough into a ball, divide it in half, and shape each half into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.

Filling

• 6 to 8 pears
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 3 tablespoons butter

1. Cook all filling ingredients in a pan until the mixture thickens like jelly.
2. Assemble the pie with the filling, a layer of fresh sliced pears, and a drizzle of caramel sauce before baking.

Second Place - T's Triple Chocolate Trilogy by Phil Moore
Chocolate Cream Pie with Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust and Chocolate Whipped Cream, photo by Wendy Helene Photography. 

Crust

• 1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)

Combine all ingredients and press into a 9-inch pie pan.

Filling

• 1 ½ cups sugar
• ⅓ cup cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 cups milk
• 4 egg yolks (slightly beaten)
• 3 ounces unsweetened chocolate (cut into pieces)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Blend sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a saucepan.
2. Stir milk into the egg yolks, then slowly add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Add the chocolate.
3. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thickened. Boil for one minute, then remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour into crust and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Whipped Topping

• 2 cups heavy cream
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat all ingredients in a cold bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form (4-5 minutes).

Stay posted for more recipes from other contestants, including Stephanie Winder's Creamy Lemon Blueberry Pie, Taylor Caraway's Butterscotch Salted Pretzel Pecan Pie, Amy Lott's Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie with Gingersnap Crust, Rita Smyth's Pecan Pie, and Cori Nowalk's Bourbon Brown Sugar Banana Cream Pie.

Left, Phil Moore with his T's Triple Chocolate Trilogy. Contestant photos by Bobbie Septien, owner of Memorie Boutique in Fallon.