Best Pie In Penn LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Fanning Staff HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) The best apple pie in the state is Belinda Myers’ Grand Apple Flan. It's no ordinary pie. Baked in a 10-inch-deep flan pan and layered with a cream cheese filling and a mixture of apple and cherry pie filling, the handsome nut-covered flan was not only eye appealing but scrumptious enough in taste for judges to select from 54 entries. Belinda is a seasoned cook who repeatedly wins awards for entries at several county fairs. In addition to her $l5O prize, the following day Belinda won second place and $lOO in the Pennsylvania's Great est Shoo-Fly Pie Contest. Although this was the first time Belinda won the top spot in the In her first year of competition, Betty Hockman’s family felt confident her cake would wow judges. With Betty are husband Michael and sons, Luke, 20, and Joel, 14. Conestoga JAYNE SEBRIGHT Lancaster Fanning Stair HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Two-lime Shoofly Pic Contest winner Debra J. Martin of Cones toga in Lancaster Co. celebrated her 33id birthday in style on Sun day at the Pennsylvania Farm Show. Taking first place in this year’s Shoofly Pie Contest, Martin was awarded $5OO from Ron Glessner, owner of Golden Barrel products from Honeybrook in Chester Co. Second place and $lOO went to Belinda Myers of Dallas town in " York Co. Loma Frick of New Cumberland in York Co. received third place and $5O. All three con testants received gift baskets of Golden Barrel products and Farm Show rosettes. The Farm Show Commission was slightly disappointed with this year’s turnout. Down from last year’s 74 contestants, 27 contest ants entered their shoofly pies in this year’s competition. According to Beverly Gruber of the Farm Show Commission, the Farm Show started the shoofly pie contest as something new for which people didn’t have to pre register. “We don’t know until 2 p.m. how many contestants we will have in the contest But so far each year, the entries taste ex cellent Some have chocolate and maple syrup, while others have walnuts. We get all variations.” Martin’s winning recipe in- annual state competition Blue Rib bon Apple Pie Contest, she had placed second in the chocolate cake contest in 1989, and her daughter won first place in the Hershcy’s Cocoa Chocolate Bars and Cookies contest last year. The Myers family raise beef and grain on their 200-acre farm in Dali as town, York County. Belinda enters many of bn baked goods at the York Fair, but this year she entered her pie in the Lebanon Area Fair, where it placed first to qualify for state competition. For the third time, second place and $9O went to Charlotte Gelnett of Middleburg, Snyder County. Charlotte described ha pie as a plain apple pie with a surprising ingredient in the crust cheese. Native Is Two-Time Winner In Shoofly Contest eluded macadam ia nuts, vanilla, and a mixture of both light and dark syrups. “Last year’s had pecans and vanilla,” explained Martin. “But, at the last minute, I decided to add macadamia nuts instead of pecans. So mom had to drive me to the store at 11:30 a.m. for the nuts.” Suffering from a foot injury, Martin couldn’t drive herself, but she knew the pie just wouldn’t be complete without the nuts. While Martin’s pie was a varia tion of something she found in the Golden Barrel recipe book, Be linda Myers created an original re cipe with her second placed “Cap puccino Shoofly Pie.” "Creativity is this,” said Myers. “I worked really hard to get this flavor.” Myers’s recipe includes milk chocolate bits, coffee, kauhla, and cappuccino hot mix, along with the basic shoofly pie ingredients. Myers was a two-time winner at this year’s Farm Show. Along with taking second in the shoofly pie contest, she placed first in the Apple Pie competition on Satur day. To build excitement and keep the crowd interested, the Farm Show Commission invited a string band made up of area high school students to play during the judging process. “Raisin’ Kane” featured bluegrass music that had the audi ence stomping their feet and clap ping their hands. Even Secretary Sam Hayes Jr. was dancing to the sylvania Cnariottc used Cortland apples for this year's entry. She said she also likes to use Wincsap and Mut su varieties. Charlotte won first place at the Juniata County Fair to qualify for slate competition. Third-place winner Pamela Pnsaznik of Allentown, Lehigh County, qualified at the Great Allentown Fair and received a $6O premium. For the first time, five top win ners were selected instead of three. Fourth place and $4O wait to Judy Kncebone, and fifth to Sherry Cashdollar. During the five-hour judging event, onlookers gathered to watch the judging, to support family members and friends who had entered, and to sample the pies that (Turn to Pago B 4) Chocolate Ca LOU ANN GOOD Lancaster Farming Staff HARRISBURG (Dauphin Co.) Betty Hocknun not only cap tured first place in the Hcrehcy’s Greatest Cocoa Cake Contest but also the distinction of being the unanimous choice of all the judges for the first time in 11 years. “I knew she’d win,” Hockman’s 20-year-old son said, “because I know how her cake tastes, and it was die prettiest one here.” There were many beautiful cakes among the 55 entries, but the first-place one was indeed specta cular. The heart-shaped cake fea tured fresh flowers spilling out of the basket-weave, icing-decorated sides. Although her hobbies ate cook ing and baking, thcWhite Hall resident said this was the first year she entered state competition. In fact, it was the first year die altered a local fair (Schnccksvillc Community Fair) in order to qual »ifv for state entry. Winning for baking entries Is e family tradition for this three-generational family. For the second year in a row. Deb Martin won the Shoofly Pie Contest She credits her mother, Dorothy Martin, for baking expertise. With them are Dorothy’s son Steve and his children Angie, 11, and Tim, 13. ‘These are my replacements,” Dorothy said of her grandchildren who entered state competition for the first time this year. The family entered between 40-50 Hems in Farm Show competition. music. According to Ron Glessncr, the contest is a huge success for both the Farm Show and Golden Barrel After clinching the award for the beat apple pie, Belinda Myers gets a hug from daughter Katie. he Is judges’ U mimous Choice A neighbor had given her the redpe several years ago. The prize is a two-night stay for four at the Hcrshcy Lodge and Convention Center, Hcrshcy. Second-place and $5O went to Connie Shuff, York. This was also her first year at the stale level, although she enters almost every cooking contest in her area and wins many ribbons. Staff's three-layer cake fea tured raspberry filling made with raspberries she picked and froze during the summer. The cake was iced with chocolate cream cheese frosting and decorated with choco late leaves and teal raspberries. “I made up the recipe after lots of experimenting,” Shuff said. “My neighbors and my Mends are my taste testers.” Third-place and $35 went to Janice Buskirk of Northumberland County. She said her recipe was identical to the first-place one except she used only '/a cup veget able oil and V. cup peanut butter. Products. “Shoofly pie is a peat Pennsylvania tradition, and this is a fun and unique way to promote one of Pennsylvania’s favorite Buskirk said that she was inspired to enter a local fair after observing the Farm Show contest other years. ”1 thought, if they can do, I can too." She was right about that. After winning first place in both the apple pie and the chocolate cake contest at (he Blue Falley Farm Show, Bangor, Buskirk qualified to enter both competitions at the state level. Her apple pie was a finalist dur ing the Saturday morning competi tion. And die chocolate calm, a favorite of husband Rick and children, Sarah, 12, and Keith, 10, was judged during the afternoon. hi the Greatest Chocolate Coo kie and Bars Contest, Erica Noll’s Choco-Caramel Delights topped 57 entries. She won a two-night stay for four at the Hershey Lodge and Convention Center, Hershey. The Mill Hall youth competed at the Clinton County Fair. (Turn to Page B 7) foods.” Five judges selected five fin alists during the first part of the (Turn to Pag* B 4)
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