Congratulations to Andra Louie for a double whammy win at RCFM’s first annual Pie Bake Off! She won over the judges’ taste buds and stomachs to capture Best Overall and Best Crust with her Lemon Dreams pie.

Andra is creative inside and outside of the kitchen. She enjoys working and volunteering in the arts community, including the Vancouver Folk Music Festival and New Westminster’s Vagabond Players. Andra and her husband, Mark, are kept entertained by their active two-year old and are otherwise busy exploring the city and great outdoors.

Andra dared to share her winning pie recipe with us! Give it a try yourself and let us know how it turns out!

Lemon Dreams Pie Recipe

Crust

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups graham crumbs
• 1 tbsp sweetened coconut
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Instructions

1. Mix together in a bowl and then press into a 9 inch pie pan.
2. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8-10 minutes.
3. Let cool completely.

Filling

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 6 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon
• 3 egg yolks, well beaten
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 tsp grated lemon (and orange) zest

Instructions

1. Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Gradually blend in cold water and  fresh lemon juice (I mixed in a little orange juice, too) until smooth.
3. Add egg yolks and blending thoroughly.
4. Add butter in small chunks.
5. Gradually add the boiling water while stirring constantly.
6. Bring to a full boil, stirring gently. Once it begins to thicken, reduce the heat and let simmer for one minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated lemon (and orange) zest.
7. Pour into pie crust and let it set for a few hours.

Andra served this pie with chilled whip cream and toasted coconut on top.  Enjoy!

Feel free to Tweet at us about your newest creation or tag us in your photo on Facebook!

Congratulations to Melissa Roth for winning Most Unique Pie at our first annual bake off! She was kind enough to share her pie recipe with us, alongside with her own personal tips that made her pie pop out at the judges. Let us know how your own Sugar Cream pie turns out – Tweet or Facebook us!

Sugar Cream Pie Recipe

Crust

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups white flour
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/2 cup butter chilled
• 2 Tablespoons ice water

Instructions

1. Mix flour and salt. With a pastry cutter, cut in cold butter until the mix looks like coarse crumbs. Drizzle in the ice water and toss around to evenly distribute the water.
2. Gather dough particles together into a ball. Wrap in waxed paper and put in fridge for 30 minutes+
3. Roll out dough and put in pie plate.

Sugar Cream Filling:

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/8 t salt
• 2 1/2 cups half n’ half
• 5 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 6 Tablespoons butter
• Cinnamon

Instructions

1. Mix sugar, cornstarch, half n’ half, and salt in saucepan. Cook to boiling point  (around medium on my stove) stirring constantly along the bottom of pot.
2. Add vanilla and butter and return to heat. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened. (It can feel like it takes forever the first time but it’ll happen as long as it’s on medium heat).
3. Transfer mix into pie shell and sprinkle with cinnamon.
4. Bake at 325F or 350F for about 30 minutes (I just keep my eye on it until it looks good).

Melissa’s tip: If it hasn’t browned, I dab a bit of butter on the crust/pie filling, put it on the top rack, and broil it for a minute or so – but it’s very important to watch the pie the whole time it’s broiling since it’s easy to burn!