Our Award Winning Lemon Marble Cream Pie!

We did it again! After our success with last year’s Pie Bake-off Competition at the Nolensville, TN 4th of July Celebration, we decided to enter again. And this year with two pies! While we were baking, we thought, “wouldn’t it be funny if both of them placed?” Well, they did: 1st and 2nd. And I saw a few of the other pies, and I must say I wasn’t confident afterwards! But, apparently the pies that we entered ranked high on taste (50%), appearance (25%), and creativity (25%).

This year, we decided to enter a Lemon Marble Cream pie, which tasted much like a zesty cheesecake. It featured lemon curd swirled onto the top, whipped cream and fresh raspberries. The crust was a delicious vanilla wafer crust with a lemon zest kick. The other pie was a variation of our Red, White, and Blueberry Cream Pie that placed 2nd last year.

I think my favorite part is the decorative lemon slice in the middle. Delicious food that's also pretty? Bonus!

At the request of many, I’m posting our recipe for this year’s 1st Place winner.  Enjoy!

Lemon Marble Cream Pie Recipe

Lemon Curd
-1 t finely grated lemon zest
-1/2 c fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
-1/2 c sugar
-3 eggs, beaten
-1/4 c butter, cubed

Note: We ended up having leftover lemon curd, so you can enjoy the remaining portion over some vanilla ice cream or on your favorite scone!

Vanilla Wafer Crumb Crust
-1 1/2 c vanilla wafer crumbs
-3/4 c almonds, toasted and finely crushed
-2 t lemon zest
-pinch of salt
-7 T melted butter

Lemon Cream Cheese Filling
-2 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
-2/3 c sugar
-2 eggs
-1/2 c sour cream
-1/2 t vanilla
-1/2 t lemon extract
-Reserved Lemon Curd

Our Award-Winning Blueberry Pie!

Some of you may know that my love for creating often manifests itself in the kitchen rather than my studio! I love getting ideas from The Food Network and trying them out on my husband for dinner. Of course, the competitions are always great to watch, as they inspire creative approaches to a sometimes ordinary dish.

So this week, I find out that the small town of Nolensville, TN (just a stone’s throw away from our Brentwood home) was hosting a Pie Bakeoff Competition as part of their 4th of July Celebration. I’ve always wanted to enter a food competition, so I enlisted my husband Nate to join me in a little challenge!

We made a “tester” pie the day before that was delicious, but not award-winning (A double crusted Peach Raspberry Pie). We decided to shift gears and give a cream pie a chance for the big day. I found a photo of a gorgeous one online. gathered some extra inspiration, and proceeded to customize a with my own artistic flair. Nate consulted and approved of said flair, and we set to baking!

We were thrilled when they announced the winners and we learned that we had placed 2nd! Even better? We got to enjoy and share what was left of our pie with our friends who were with us.

Check out a detail shot of our completed pie!

A few friends have already requested our recipe, so here it is:

Red, White, and Blueberry Cream Pie

INGREDIENTS:

9 inch Graham Cracker Crust:

1½ cups Graham Cracker crumbs
¼ cup crushed almonds
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

Blueberry Filling:

Lemon Soufflé Pancakes

So… this blog is about creating, right? There’s more to me than fine art and graphic design, and this was a recipe I couldn’t pass up sharing.

Saturday night, Nate and I decided to try a coveted recipe that he had begged and pleaded to obtain: Lemon Soufflé Pancakes. They were the signature breakfast dish at a lovely bed and breakfast on the East Coast, and the chef was kind enough to share. Now, I don’t use “delightful” to describe many things, but these really deserve the compliment.

Enjoy! Let me know what you think, and be on the lookout for a brand new blog devoted to recipes we love and our other creative experiences as Nate and I journey through married life.

(Not our photo - we were too hungry!) Thanks to a Flikr user named "aprevite" for this one.

Pancake Ingredients:

6 eggs, separated
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cup ricotta
1/2 cup melted butter
4 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
zest of two lemons
1 T. fresh lemon juice

Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. In another bowl, stir together the egg yolks, flour, ricotta, butter, sugar, salt, and lemon zest until well mixed. With a large spatula, fold the egg whites into the mixture. Gently stir. There should still be small amounts of egg white showing.

Heat skillet over medium heat. Grease lightly and spoon out about 2 big spoonfuls of batter for each pancake. Cook slowly for about 1 1/2 minutes (or until they can be flipped without making a big mess), then turn and cook for another 30 seconds or so. These will be lighter and fluffier than your typical pancake. Keep the pancakes warm in 250º oven until ready to serve. Top with berry syrup (recipe below) and whipped cream! Makes about 12  4 inch pancakes (we had no trouble eating them all between the two of us).