S. Worthen | Weblog

Chorizo pie, steak and mash pie, venison pie, risotto pie, chicken pot pie, pi, Apple Pie Pod, lemon meringue pie, key lime pie, butternet squash tart, cardamon-caramel pineapple pavlova, chocolate brownies, caramel brownies, cheese biscuits, cheese crisps, chocolate chip cookies, soda bread, cheesecake, a tuna-tomato pastry confection, "Wigan kebabs" (three pies on a skewer - crab, beef, plum), custard millefeuille, strawberry-topped cake, chocolate orange cake, cheese crisps, stuffed teddy bear pie, and many more, since I know I've forgotten several of the meat pies. Best of all, the standard of baked goods was high.

So today was the second Great LiveJournal Pie-off, a sequel to March's pie extravaganza. easterbunny conceived and hosted the first one, rjw1 won the grand prize (Best Pie) and thus bore the onus of hosting it. elvum generously volunteered to do the physical hosting, since he has a house with a garden; the garden was particularly lovely on a day with absolutely perfect weather. We sat around, ate too much, voted for baked goods in ten or so categories, watched balloons float distantly away into fluffy clouds, talked about penguins and polar bears, and most people watched the afternoon's nerve-wracking cricket match. It was a lovely afternoon.

I'm delighted to report that I won for "Best Use of Vegetables", thanks to a recipe marzapane introduced me to the last time I baked for this pie contest series: a Roasted Butternut Squash Tart.* billyabbott won "Best Pie" this time 'round and so will be hosting the third and next edition of the Great LJ Pie-off.

* Recipe notes: I used a Joy of Cooking pastry recipe. The local grocery store didn't have any Fontina, so I used a mild cheddar instead.