We had a lovely Thanksgiving. My mother was here, as well as my sister Meg and her family and, of course our daughter Devin and son Jack. Dev also brought along two friends from school, Doug and Claire, who live on the west coast which made it even more fun for us. The kids arrived on Wednesday night and we all began discussing the next day’s meal. I informed them that I had plenty of everything except dessert. Claire and Doug said that they had planned to bake an apple pie but hadn’t gotten around to it, what with all the college studying and all. I told them that I had also planned to make an apple pie or two and had bought all the ingredients but hadn’t gotten around to making them yet. After we all agreed that apple pies are the best of all pies, in fact, we all HATE any pies that are not filled with apples, we started bragging about how adept we all are at baking apple pies. That is when we decided to challenge each other to a bake-off.
Yes, there would be a Thanksgiving contest at the Leary household to determine who could bake the best apple pie.
The next morning, Meg and her family arrived bright and early and I immediately recruited my dear niece/Goddaughter/namesake Annie Seminara as my partner. Doug, Claire and Devin would make up the other team. There was a third competitor – a pie made by a local gourmet restaurant. I had bought the fancy restaurant pie, just in case I never got around to making a pie at all. So the game was on. There would be three pies in the competition and the judges (yet to be determined) would decide which pie was the best, based on two criteria – presentation and taste.
Annie and I made our pie very early in the morning, before the others were awake, so that they couldn’t see our ingredients. We were so very pleased with the wonderful balance of cinnamon to sugar and the other seasonings, that we didn’t go overboard with the crust. we did add a nice touch, though. When we were finished, we placed the pie pie in the oven and sat back to watch the parade, feeling very smug indeed.
I believe it was the delightful aroma of our baking pie that roused the college students and after swilling some coffee, Devin, Claire and Doug began to prepare their pie. Now, here, I must add that they were at a bit of an advantage. My niece, Annie, is an overachiever and when she peeled the apples for our pie, she peeled twice as many as were needed. After we sliced up all the apples, I squeezed fresh lemon juice over the extra slices, to prevent them from browning, and set them aside for our competitors. See, that’s the kind of people Annie and I are. We help others.
Devin, Doug and Claire made a big deal about not letting us see their ingredients, which was silly, as our pie had already been made. When our pie was finished, we made the mistake of letting them see it, which gave them an idea. An idea to copy us. Anyway, in the end, sister Meg and our son Jack were the judges. Jack is an apple pie expert and is quite capable of eating an entire pie alone, so he was more than happy to sample the three pies.
After dinner, we presented the three pies so that they could be judged their appearance, which you may do as well.
Pie #1:
Pie #2:
Pie #3:
Then we blindfolded the two judges and had them determine which pie was the winning apple pie.
Can you guess, based on the photos above, a) who made each pie, and b) which pie was the winner?
Hmm. I think pie number 3 is the one you and Annie made.
Pie number 2 is courtesy of Devin, Doug, and Claire.
Of course, pie number 1 comes from gourmet bakery.
Hmm, again. I think pie number 3 won. It’s very cute so many points for presentation! Am sure it was quite tasty.
*goes off to have slice of pie for breakfast*
Middle pie is from gourmet shop. Top pie is Annie/Annie and bottom is the pie from over achieving late sleeping college kids who watch Food TV. Ha! Happy Thanksgiving!
Given the clues about copying, I think that the middle one is yours, the third one is the college students’ (they copied your fork technique around the edge), and the first is the gourmet pie, which you carefully avoided imitating.
okay, i think the first pie is yours (with the lattice top being your ‘we added a nice touch’ component). the second pie is by doug, claire and devin, and the third is from the bake shop.
my guess is the first pie (yours) won the taste test (and overall contest) because it seems to be overflowing with apples ….. which is the key to a good apple pie!
Pie 2 is from the gourmet shop, pie 3 is clearly yours and Annie’s (The crust puppy gave it away!), and the college gang is pie 1. Pie 3 wins for presentation – a no brainer:-) Now, which tasted the best?
You clearly had a blessed Thanksgiving!
pie number 3 is the one you and Annie made totally!
Pie number 2, is the apple pie made by Devin, Doug, and Claire, pie number 1 ….. gourmet bakery.
Ann and Annie I say yours won!
1. Ann/Annie
2. Dev & friends
3. store bought
with # 1 as the winner for taste.
I believe number 1 is the college three pie, number 2 is the shop pie and
number 3 is the Ann/Annie pie. (based on the fact that number 1 and 3
have the same pie dish!)
Pie 1: College kids
Pie 2: Bakery
Pie 3: Ann and Annie
All the pies were delicious, but team Ann and Annie won!
#1 Ann. #2 Bakery. #3 College kids.
Are those paper plates or regular dishes on the table?
You had everything but the dessert?? That would have been the first thing I would have gotten. That’s probably part of the reason why you weigh a lot less than I do.
Bet the dogs had a ball with all the people around to talk to them and give them scratches behind their ears.
Pie #1- Devin, Doug, Claire
Pie #2- Fancy shop
Pie #3- Ann and Annie
I think the puppy on the third pie looks like something Ann would do, and the lattice looks like something the college kids would do. I think #3 gets it on presentation. I am dying to have a taste of #1, because it is so overflowing. Truth be told, I want to have a piece of all three. I love apple pie! My favorite pie is lemon meringue, but apple is a close second. I don’t know who won, but what a fun idea!!
#1 Devin, Doug & Claire
#2 Store bought
#3 Ann & Annie
The matching dishes definitely gave it away when determining home-made vs. store bought. I LOVE the pie puppy, star & heart – surely these things alone would give your pie the best flavor of all!
My first impression when I looked at the title of this post (Pie me up..) then I scrolled a wee bit and saw the 1st photo. For a split second, my impression was that someone had made a cheesecake and stuck flowers in it! Cheesecake as centerpiece!
Lucky you, to have college students around for the holiday! That is one of the greatest joys in life…and one of the best forms of energy.
I’m with the majority here,thinking #1 was made by Devin, Claire and Doug, #2 the store bought and #3 Ann and Annie. All the pies look yummy. I’m guessing that there were Lots of apples pre-cut and it appears that every last piece went into pie #1.
Hmmm. That is a tough one. Well, I’m going with #3 as my fave for presentation, and with the added “Cake Boss” touch, it’s Ann and Annie’s. Nice work!
Number 1 has a lovely, golden crust, and took some extra effort with slicing the pie crust into strips, so I’m going to guess that it’s Devin, Doug and Claire’s. I’ll take off points for the broken crust, however.
Number 2 looks very “homemade” too, but since it’s the only one left, I’ll have to say that it’s the store-bought one.
With all of the above said, my pick for best tasting is number 1 because the exposed apples carmelized in the oven. Yummy!
I can’t wait to hear the results. I’m off to find something to nibble on. I’m starving!
Happy (Belated!) Thanksgiving to you ALL!
They ALL look like winners to me!!! However, pie #3—The A Team, middle pie—gourmet shop, pie #1-college team. (And of course, I must confess that I am only confident re: these answers because of my smart and savvy fellow posters and THEIR answers!)
I want to know how to make the pie puppy. Too cute! And now, of course, I want pie. Dang.
Boy, I haven’t a clue. I tried looking at the pans but that got me confused. I just know that I would have loved to being a pie judge. Yum! Did you get a video of the college kids baking? That would be a keeper for your kid archives.
Pie 1 students
Pie 2 gourmet
Pie 3 Ann & Annie (becuase of the decoration) and enough venting to cook the apples
We had a bakeoff at work one year…had to make it into to days, there were so many pies. Recommend it for office bonding….even got one of the VPs to help our panel judge. It was hard work, but we were up to it! Five of us locked in a conference room with eight pies…YUM
No idea. Yet, pie number one was probably the better tasting one!
#1 Devin and co.
#2 Bakery
#3 Ann and co.
Ann, it must make you so proud and pleased that your kids feel so free to include friends over during the holiday. My daughter has often done the same thing; one year we had a friend from Nebraska, one from Mass., another from Florida. Once there were more friends than family ! It gave me such pleasure and pride to know that she was so giving and wanting to include others in our celebrations. She always knew and told friends that her mom and dad wouldn’t mind; there was always enough. This year she is away for the holidays, working the celebrations at Disney; it was a much quieter day for us, I can’t yet imagine Christmas without her around. But she decided to have her own dinner, inviting all of her out of town friends to join her. So Ann, enjoy your weekend and all those great looking pies !!! No matter who “wins”–you all really won !!!!
Ann, it looks like you’ve got your “Martha Stewart” on in the second photograph (that apron is tres domestique!).
Where’s the picture of the pie the husbands made?
Just got back from Manhattan from seeing Peewee Herman at the Sondheim Theater. Today’s secret word???? “PIE”. I am so glad I am able to vote in time (I think).
I am with Lisa:
1) Ann’s
2) Doug, Claire and Devin
3) Bakery
However, I just noticed……….the last photo has a puppy on it from a puppy mold????? Who would think of that? Not so sure if 3 is from a bakery now.
Ann – its time to cut loose and come clean.
Changed my vote: I’m with Bev now.
1. Bakery
2. Doug, Devin and Claire
3. Ann
I would like to have a slice of pie #2 for starters. I am a cherry pie freak at heart but I can be bought.
My vote:
1. College kids
2. Store bought
3. Ann
For me, homemade beats store bought every time. Number one looks yummy, but is last for presentation. Number 3 has to be Ann’s, with the dog made from pastry, wins for presentation.
Ann, sounds like you had a very special Thanksgiving. So happy for you and your family. I, too, had a beautiful Thanksgiving, thanks to my wonderful cousin-in-law JoAnn, and her husband John, who have the most warm and welcoming home I have ever been in. My very large extended family of in-laws have always treated me as family, since the first time I met them as a naive 18 year old….30 years later, I am closer to some of them than I am to my own family, due to geography. Nothing beats quality time spent with family. My melancholy mood has lifted, and I am in the process of planning and decorating for Christmas…even went shopping for a tree today, though I came home empty handed. Here’s to the start of a beautiful Holiday Season for all.
Wow. Now I want pie.
1. College Kids (I can just picture them cracking up over the broken lattice)
2. Store (though it looks a little burnt to me on top, I think the American Pie Co. in Sherman CT would be better competition…!)
3. Ann & Annie. I am mystified at the cutout toppings…teach me how!
I make a pie once a year because the apples just don’t last in our house…they find their way out to the barn somehow before I get around to baking.
I also love that you welcome others in for the holidays…my parents did the same. I had a friend whose family lives in London, and two days before Christmas I asked what he was doing for the holiday. He said “Nothing…” so off to CT he went, and now he’s an honorary member of our family. Those kids are going to remember this Thanksgiving with such fond memories!
Maureen: YOU GO GIRL!!!!
Thanks Kim Long Island….
Loved the videos of your dogs. Seeing that 3 legged pooch running the beach made my heart sing. Amazing how they just adapt, and never complain. We can learn a lot from them.
Awwww – thank you Maureen. If you ever need inspiration, that dog is the man. LOL!!!
Oh good grief. I made the mistake of reading what everyone else thought, and now I’m totally confused. All I know now is that I want some damn pie…with vanilla ice cream!
Okay, after reading the responses, I believe that only Helena guessed correctly. The first pie is from The Pantry, a very nice local gourmet restaurant/caterer. I broke the crust transporting it home, which is probably what threw some of you off.
Pie 2 is, unfortunately, Annie’s and mine. The brown thing in the center that looks like a flattened turd? That was a turkey that I had cut out of a piece of crust and was very proud of – until it burned into the brown turd.
The kids COPIED the turkey idea, but instead, made better cutouts of a little dog, heart and star. They knew that everybody in this family has a soft spot for dogs so that was very clever of them. Plus, they were careful not to burn their crust.
And their pie was best all around, because they also won the blind taste test. Their secret ingredient? A dollop of maple syrup!
Boy, I was way off the mark. I’m so happy to hear that the kids won, mind you. It’s definitely the most creative pie. Love the maple syrup idea.
Sorry about the turd, Ann. Sometimes turds can be pretty tasty, though.
so what’s my prize? Gomer?
Ku-dos (saw “Juno” this weekend) on the college kids’ pie. It’s a beauty! It sounds like a Happy Thanksgiving was had by all.
I watched “Julia and Julie” this weekend and have the urge to make Boeuf Bourguignon. Has anyone ever made this? I may be in over my head.
Will be happy to re-test all pies if necessary.
I have a Thanksgiving apple pie story. Every year I invite my in-laws and our two best friends who live in Minnesota to join us and our three kids. My father-in-law, the estimable Gordon Ellis (of O-At-Ka boys summer camp fame) is the world’s number one apple pie aficionado. His birthday also often coincides with Thanksgiving. So one year in a fit of sucking up and/or excessive generosity I told Gordon I had baked the apple pie “just for him”. He then proceeded to take the pie, put it under his chair, and refuse to share with anyone. Funny at first but them led to ugly revolt and accusations of greed, general nastiness, etc. Plus the rest of us were forced to resort to the secondary pumpkin and pecan alternatives.
The following year I made a point of announcing that everyone from kindergarden age and up would have to behave and be good “sharers” Silence and glaring from Gordon.
So this year I baked two apple pies, one with “E” baked into it for Gordon and the other with an “O” baked into it for others.
Residual resentment continues.
Paula, Great story!
Boeuf Bourguignon is not hard at all and worth doing. It’s just a fancy beef stew, except you use a nicer cut of beef and roast it in wine. The pearl onions may be a bit tedious, but it works without them. I discovered it in the “The Joy of Cooking,” when I was a house guest at age 13 and I loved this recipe and copied it carefully to take home. I’ve haven’t eaten beef since the 1980s, but Julia Child’s chicken in wine recipe is exactly the same except it uses chicken. I honestly don’t think anyone can mess it up — it’s just browning meat, covering with wine and putting it in the oven. The nice thing is you can do the meat, the mushrooms and onions a day ahead and it improves in the refrigerator. Heat it up and serve with noodles, rice or potatoes.
Catherine, last year my sister-in-law and I made Boeuf Bourguignon after watching Julie and Julia. It took us a long time (maybe we were nipping at that wine too much) and as I recall there was a lot of prep involved but it was so worth it. My house smelled divine. I wish you could buy candles that smell like that.
I’m sure there are short cut recipes but we wanted to follow Julia Child’s exactly as written.
Good luck and have fun!
Sandy and Amanda, thanks for the Boeuf Bourguignon tips and info. I’m happy to hear it’s not too complicated. I can handle prep work, but I’m not very talented in the kitchen. I can’t wait to try this though! Thanks again!