I would have been proud to have made any one of them. As it was, I only had to eat them.
When, for impossible-to-avoid personal reasons both judges Joe McNamee and Imen McDonnell were, at the last minute unable at judge the first ever Pie Bakeoff at Diva Boutique Bakery in Ballinspittle, me, my mother and my daughter selflessly volunteered to taste and consider the delicious efforts of the contestants with their pies and tarts.
For me, the most interesting thing about the tasting – apart from the high quality of the submissions – was to listen to the experts Shannen Keane and Georgina Thompson, Ballymaloe-trained Intern at the bakery, delivering their verdicts on each submission.
Shannen wants this to become an annual event and was determined to give feedback to the pie makers, to encourage and help them improve. Common mistakes were, slightly limp base? - "bake blind" the solution; filling too thin? - "use a deeper dish"; filling too liquid? - "thicken with tapioca"; top slightly singed? - "beware your oven hot spots and move the pie around as it cooks"; rough edges? - 'be more careful! Crimp and edge".
In the end the decision was unanimous to give the prize to Jane Davis' apricot tart which was topped with a nutty crumbly crust. This pie was so well balanced, deliciously chewy, light, the perfect sweetness and very enjoyable to eat. We also awarded a special judges award to a young 10 year old Freya Moir, for her beautifully presented banioffi of unequalled lightness and delicacy.
Well done to everybody involved and already looking forward to the 2nd Bakeoff. Not only was it a great community event, but €200 was raised for Animal Havens Animal Rescue (AHAR)
http://ahar.ie
http://divaboutiquebakery.com/cafe.html
Sally McKenna
