Getting crusty with wannabe pie masters at this summer bake-off
Flaky crusts and unique fillings came together at Prospect Park for the fourth annual Pie in the Park, and everyone jockeyed to get their slice of the action. With over 150 pie eaters in attendance, two long tables of 70-plus pies were ravaged within the first 30 minutes of the event. Who can blame them, when choices included whiskey apple pie or a "Better Than Snickers" pie?
This year's champs were notable for their uniqueness. Best Presentation went to a "Worm in Dirt" creation made with a wafer crust, cookie topping and hidden treasures like a gummi rat and gummi worms. Best Crust went to a pie with Bing cherry Bacon Marmalade hugged by a duck-fat-and-thyme crust. Second place went to a tomato-cheddar pie, and a close third was a blueberry-almond pie. But the winner for best overall and best filling went to a Cuban-inspired creation with a piccadillo meat topping and a sweet plantain bottom, made by Carol Roman.
Organizer Lauren Cucinotta and the Pie in the Park team took donations of $5 to $10 for SCRATCHbread, a food movement organization for living simply and sustainably through homemade loaves of bread. Winners also received prizes from Brooklyn Soda Works, Oslo Coffee, Bacon Marmalade and Kors d'Oeuvres.
By Jamie Raterman; photos by Kelly Neal
