And then there were two....
Four chefs went spatula to spatula as Family Fare Presents the FOX 17 Morning Mix Bake-Off. In the end, it came down to who could make a pecan pie to win over the judge's taste-buds. Victorious in the Apple Pie Challenge was Ali Nash and Amanda Barnett with Root Farmacy and Spectrum Health's Culinary Medicine Team. That means, these two ladies made it to the final round.
In the end, it was Chef Amanda's pecan pie for the victory, also snagging $2,500 for Meals on Wheels.
All other participating chefs were awarded the following for charity:
- Chef Ali Nash (Paws with a Cause) (*Todd - Host)
- Chef Rachel Baas (Mary Free Bed)
- Chef Gaby (West MI Veterans Coalition)
Chef Amanda's recipe:
Crust
160g All Purpose Flour
8g Granulated Sugar
3g Salt
113g Unsalted Butter (1 stick)
48g Ice Water
Filling
250g Pecan Halves (2 ½ cups)
72g Unsalted Butter (1/2 Stick)
100g Brown Sugar (1/2 cup)
2 tsp Cornstarch
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 large eggs, room temp
240mL Pure Maple Syrup (1 cup)
Sea Salt (for sprinkling)
Topping
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
1 TBSP Powdered Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
· Oven set to 350*degrees
Chef Ali's recipe
Save the Turtles Pecan Pie (caramel, pecan, chocolate)
Based on an item at The Good Cookie Sweet Shop
Pie Crust
· Family Fare Brand 9-inch pie crust
Pie Filling
· 1 cup of store bought caramel topping or homemade caramel (below)
· 1/2 cup of brown sugar
· 3 eggs
· 1 tsp of vanilla extract
· 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
· Pinch of salt
Homemade Caramel
· 1 cup heavy whipping cream
· ¾ stick of butter
· 1 ¼ cup light syrup
· 2 ¼ cups sugar
· ½ tsp salt
· 1 tsp vanilla
Pecan Mix-In
· 2 cups pecan halves
· 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chunks
Pecan Topping
· Extra ½ cup of pecan halves
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9.5 inch glass pie plate.
2. Bake pie crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
3. Make Homemade Caramel (if not using store bought).
· Place cream, butter, syrup and sugar in a large pan.
· Cook at medium heat until 230 degrees.
· Remove from heat and add vanilla and salt
· Stir well and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, stir together brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
5. Fold in caramel, then add pecans and chocolate chunks to mixture.
6. Pour filling into pie crust.
7. Place extra pecan halves in circular design on top of filling.
8. Bake for 40 – 45 minutes.
9. Remove from the oven, let cool, top with fresh whipped cream or caramel drizzle.
10. Enjoy!
11. Bonus J - Store any extra caramel in the refrigerator (1 week) or freezer (3 months) and use on other delicious treats any chance you get!
The FOX 17 Morning Mix Bake-Off is sponsored by Family Fare
