Chili Competition Pie

Jamie won our annual work chili cook-off this year.  There were nine entries, and he won first prize, which is a day of paid leave.  Instead of entering a chili in the competition, I baked pies.  The award for pie baking is the joy of crafting the pies, followed by the pie admiration of my coworkers, and then the miserable state of everyone's digestion after eating nine bowls of chili and giant hunks of pie for lunch during a work day!   

I enjoyed making these pies so much I couldn't resist taking photos. Cutting butter chunks into flour is so satisfying.   

Apples, peeled and ready to fill a crust. 

I made a little extra dough for each pie this time, and it was nice to have plenty to cover the dish, and even a little extra for a tiny bonus pie.  

Flipping the rolled out dough into the pie plate is always tricky.  But look, I did it perfectly this time! 

Isn't it pretty, with the edges all crimped?  

The apple peeler/slicer crank tool thing I have always leaves a little bit of peel on the slice at either end of the apple.  These slices with peel were perfect for the tiny bonus pie made from the extra bits of dough.  

Cinnamon and sugar, poured over the apple slices.  Oh yeah.  

Then a mixture of flour, sugar, and butter sprinkled on the top.  

Baked to golden perfection!  

While the apple pie was baking, I rolled out the dough for the chocolate pie.  Success!  

The chocolate, sugar, butter, egg yolks, and evaporated milk are heated on the stove top until the butter melts, then poured into the unbaked crust.  I used up all the extra bits of dough in the little bonus pie, making the crust extra thick so I only had to steal a little filling from the big pie. 

When the pie was nearly done baking, I used the egg whites and sugar to whip up the meringue.  I even added and extra egg white, so it would be tall and fluffy.  The meringue goes on the hot pie, then back in the oven until it's golden brown.  

The meringue is always taller out of the oven than it is when it cools.  I wonder if there's a way to keep it from shrinking?  

Brandon was prepared to be dissapointed that I was baking pies for a party he wasn't able to attend, so the little bonus pies were perfect.  He got to have a slice of the pie, but we didn't eat an entire pie all by ourselves!