And the best pie recipe in Detroit is....

We asked and you answered! We put out a call for the best pie recipes in Detroit and received many nominations. The winner of the contest will receive 4 tickets to see the hit musical "Waitress" at the Fisher Theater. The show is about a waitress who bakes amazing pies and dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Along with the tickets, we are including $50 in lottery tickets, a $100 Kroger gift card, and a $150 gift certificate to Empire Kitchen and Cocktails.  The runner up receives a pair of tickets to the show.  

Our two finalists were Abbey Zammitt from Plymouth with her apple pie baked in a cast iron skillet and Kelly Geresy from Dearborn with her s'mores ice cream pie.  Geresy says her two girls, Grace and Annie, were the inspiration for her pie. They love s'mores and ice cream and she decided to combine the two in her s'mores ice cream pie. Zammitt jokes that her apple pie is "super healthy, you melt an entire stick of butter on the bottom of the cast iron skillet" and put the crust on top so it all soaks in.  Hosts Tati and Jason were the judges.

And the winner is....

Abbey Zammitt with her cast iron skillet apple pie! Both contestants shared their recipes with us so you can make them at home.

Abbey Zammit’s Cast Iron Skillet Apple Pie

 

Pie filling ingredients:

2 lbs. Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped

2 lbs. Gala apples, peeled and chopped

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 stick butter

1 cup light brown sugar

1 egg white

2 Tablespoons granulated sugar and cinnamon 

 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toss chopped apples in 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Melt butter in skillet then add brown sugar.

Allow brown sugar to heat until dissolved.

Remove the skillet from the heat and place one of the pie crust in the bottom of the pan.

Add apple mixture then top with remaining pie crust.

Whisk the egg white to a foamy consistency and brush across the top of the crust.

Sprinkle the remaining granulated sugar/cinnamon mixture across the entire pie. Cut a few slits in the top for steam to escape.

Bake for about an hour or until the crust is a golden brown.

 

Crust ingredients:

2 cups flour 

1/2 tsp sugar 

3/4 tsp salt 

3/4 cup lard 

1 small egg beaten 

1/2 T vinegar

1/4 cup water 


Directions:

In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, and salt. Chop lard into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Mix together egg, vinegar, and water, then add to flour mixture. Mix until dough is moist enough to form a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes. Divide dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll both halves into 12-inch circles. 

 

Kelly Gersey’s S’mores ice cream pie

Ingredients:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs (about 8 1/2 crackers)

Package of graham crackers separated carefully 

2 Tbsp sugar

1/4 melted unsalted butter 

2 tsp cinnamon

6 -8 oz semisweet chocolate (I like Ghiradelli squares)

1 container Cool Whip OR 8 oz heavy cream

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup marshmallows plus additional for top of pie

1+ qt of chocolate ice cream 

 

Can be done in a springform pan, as shown, or in a regular pie plate. Crush up 1 cup graham crackers and add sugar, cinnamon and salt to taste, till combined. Add melted butter till combined. Press into your pie plate of choice. Refrigerate 30-50 minutes OR for, best results, bake in a 325 degree oven for 12 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

 

In a glass bowl, heat chocolate squares and heavy cream over double boiler (bowl over pan of simmering water, not touching bottom of bowl) til all combined and smooth OR place chocolate squares in a glass bowl with container of cool whip and microwave in 30 second increments for up to 3 minutes, mixing in between segments. Mix throughly and set aside for 15 minutes. Pour over pie crust, and arrange graham cracker segments around side of pan, freeze 30 minutes. 


Soften ice cream 10-20 minutes on the counter. In a bowl, Mix ice cream together with marshmallows and chocolate chips. Spread over crust and freeze over night. 

 

Prior to serving, Arrange remaining marshmallows over pie and brown with a cooking blow torch, or under a broiler for 30-45 seconds. Place pie back in freezer to set if it’s gotten runny. Note: Marshmallows will smoke as they brown in the oven so don’t look away for a second! Remove spring form pan prior to serving and sit pie on counter for 5-15 minutes to allow for easy cutting. Enjoy!

 

This article is sponsored by Broadway In Detroit