This unique fruit pie features cooked pears and a rich cream filling. It’s layered with a lattice crust and whipped topping. A neighbor’s pear tree inspired the recipe (from Bill Blake of Little Rock) which earned him a blue ribbon at the most recent Arkansas State Fair Pillsbury® Refrigerated Pie Crusts Pie Baking Championship. It won for taste, appearance, creativity and ease of preparation.

Now the makers of Pillsbury pie crusts have picked Blake’s pie as its national pie baking championship grand prize winner. Julie Hinderks, a test kitchen expert at Pillsbury, noted, “This is not your ‘average’ cream pie. With the pre-baked lattice top and filling layer, it was a fun new twist on a traditional pear pie.” About 730 pies were entered at official host fairs across the country. For grand prize honors, Blake, a retired convenience store owner, wins a $1,000 cash award for winning top pie. Visit www.pillsbury.com/pie for more great pie recipes.

Posted: 01|31|10 at 11:49 pm. Filed under: Fairs News.