Three local pie bakers answered the call to bring their best recipes to Walton Arts Center for our Baked from the Heart Pie Competition, inspired by the upcoming musical Waitress.

Three local judges, Chef Steven Brooks, cookbook author and owner of Euna Mae’s Amy Hannon and KNWA’s morning show anchor Chris Frye had the difficult task of tasting them all and picking a winner.

The pies were delicious and the bakers have been so kind to share the recipes with us! Much like Jenna from Waitress, our three bakers pour their hearts in their pies and craft scrumptious treats that are a little slice of heaven.

Nana Lucyanna's Coconut Cream Pie

Finalist

Ingredients & Instructions

CRUST
1 cup flour
0.5 t salt
1/3 cup Crisco 

Work Crisco in to sifted flour and salt mixture. Your goal is to stir as little as possible. Add drops of ICE WATER (very important)…carefully add the water; too much water makes tough dough that will stick when you roll out. If you do put a little too much, be generous with your use of flour as you roll it out. Mix. Roll out. 

FILLING
3/4 cup sugar
¼ cup flour
¼ cup corn starch
¼ t salt
2 eggs
14 oz coconut milk
1 ½ cup half and half
1 cup coconut
1 t vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl, add two eggs, beat mixture for 6-8 minutes under medium-high speed. Add one 14 oz can of coconut milk and 1 ½ cups half and half. Cook on low to medium heat until boils, stirring continuously. Cook another 4-5 minutes to make pudding creamier. Take off burner and put in a t of vanilla and 1 cup coconut. Put into pre-baked piecrust. 
*cook crust at 360 for 15 minutes before putting in filling. 

WHIPPED CREAM TOPPING
1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
½ cup powdered sugar
1 t vanilla

Mix ingredients until thickens and then put it on pie when the pie is COOL. Toast coconut in a pie pan and bake for few minutes until golden brown. Let the toasted coconut cool and then place on top of homemade whipped topping. 

With Love,
Carissa Freeman

Ozark Mountain Grape

Winner

Ingredients & Instructions

Crust:
254 gr (approximately 2 Cups) All Purpose Flour
5 gr (approximately 1 Tsp.) Salt 
141 gr (approximately ¾ Cup) Shortening
⅓ - ½ Cup very cold water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender or fork until coarse (pea size) crumbs develop. Stir in enough water with fork just until dough will form a ball.
Divide ball in half and shape each half into a ¾” thick disk. Wrap and chill 20-30 minutes.
During this time prepare the filling.

Filling:
24 oz seeded Campbell Early Grapes (weighed after seeds are taken out)
1 ⅛ Cup Sugar
3 ½ Tablespoons Instant Clear Jel
Very slight pinch Salt
¼ Tsp. (compacted) Orange Zest
2 Tablespoons Melted Butter

Whisk 3 dry ingredients together
Fold dry mix, butter and zest into seeded grapes. 
Set aside while rolling out the dough

Roll out one disk slightly larger than pie plate on a lightly floured surface 
Place it in the pie plate
Place filling into bottom pie shell pastry
Roll out second disk for a full cover, lattice, or decoration as desired
Brush edge of bottom pastry with water
Cover with top pastry, slightly press edge of top pastry onto bottom pastry shell to seal the edge
Trim off excess dough
Slit top to allow steam to vent

Bake at 425 degrees on middle rack for 15 minutes
Lower temp to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned.

-Jerry Leding

Boppy's Knee-Slappin', Mouth smackin', Eyes roll back in your head it's so good Sour Cream Raisin Pie

Finalist

Ingredients & Instructions

CRUST: This makes 2 crusts ... one for now, an extra because you'll want to make it again VERY soon!
6 Tbsp. and 3 Tbsp. unsalted softened butter, divided
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 Tbsp. granulated white sugar
1 large egg 
1/2 cup AP flour
3/4 cup (plus about 2 Tbsp. more) quick cook rolled oats
1/8 tsp of baking powder
1/8 tsp of baking soda
1/4 heaping tsp coarse kosher salt

Cream butter and both sugars with an electric hand mixer in medium sized bowl for about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed until light and fluffy. (you can use a stand mixer, but dang! Why make the clean up harder?)

Add egg and continue to beat until pale and fluffy.

Add oats, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and beat until it's all mixed together good, about 1 minute. Turn oat mixture out onto a prepared cookie sheet (which you have either lined with parchment or a non stick silicone mat or sprayed Pam like the devil to cover the sheet) and press out until you have an even layer about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick. (Basically, one big 'ole misshapen cookie ... looks right now are NOT important.)

Bake at 350 until it is just lightly golden on top, about 15 to 18 minutes ... you know your oven best, just keep an eye on it. Let cool on rack until completely cooled.

Once your "cookie" is completely cool crumble it up with your hands into a big bowl.

Add the other 3 Tbsp. of butter and a tablespoon of light brown sugar and mix it all together until it will stick together to form a crust. (Now's the time to split the mixture in half, one for now and one for "later". It freezes beautifully!)

Press mixture into a 9 inch pie pan, be it glass, tin, or ceramic. (Tins make the best pies, but I won't judge.) Work the mixture from the bottom up the sides until you have a full solid covering of crust in the pie pan interior. Just be sure to bring the sides up to the top edge of the pan ... you'll need to have it for the meringue to hang on to later!

FILLING: 
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whole milk
3 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

In a small saucepan, cover the raisins with just enough water and heat to a boil. Immediately remove from heat and set aside. (you are plumping them up!)

In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, salt, cloves and cinnamon.

Stir in sour cream and milk until mixture is nice and smooth. Cook slow over medium heat until just thickened and bubbly.

Reduce heat to low; cook and stir for 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Now's when you get to temper the eggs!

Stir a small amount of your hot filling into egg yolks whisking like crazy to combine them ... you don't want the eggs to scramble! Once it your eggs have adjusted to the heat, you can now add them to the rest of the cooked mixture in the pan, stirring constantly while doing so.

Remember, you are on low heat ... bring it up in temp just a hair until it starts a low, gentle boil. (that stage between a simmer and too many bubbles) Continue to stir it and let that cook for a couple more minutes. Remove from the heat.

Drain your raisins, but reserve about 1/2 cup of the water you cooked them in and gently stir that in to your filling mixture. Then add your raisins and mix it all together. Pour this filling into your Oat Cookie Crust and get your oven back to 350 degrees.

Meringue:

NOW, you can haul out your stand mixer. But for gosh sakes, make sure your mixing bowl and whisk are clean as all get out ... just the least little bit of dust or food residue will cause your egg whites not to set up proper.

Put the three egg whites in the bowl that were left over from the filling recipe and add another for good measure ... maybe even a fifth if you want mile high pie meringue. It's up to you, but I vote for no less than 4 egg whites.

Wisk on high in your stand mixture and sprinkle in a little cream of tartar and a couple, two, or three tablespoons of granulated white sugar, adding gradually, until you reach stiff peak consistency. (Meringue sweetness is definitely a matter of personal opinion and this recipe is already pretty darned sweet, so I'd err on the side of DO MORE SUGAR! Nah, just kidding ... I think 5 tablespoons are plenty.)

Spread over hot filling, sealing the meringue edges to the crust.

Pop this beauty into your 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes ... the meringue should be gloriously golden and browned on the peaks. Let cool for at least 1 hour before serving and refrigerate what little, if any, that is left.

-Kay Weiderhaft