It’s usually about this time each year that some of Tennessee’s best apple pie makers begin testing and tweaking recipes in preparation for the State Fair’s annual Best Apple Pie competition.

            Often their efforts include heirloom recipes handed down from one generation to the next, but then there are those who create new concoctions and go through a series of trials and eliminations to find something different and something that can make them Tennessee’s champion apple pie maker.
            However, this year there won’t be a State Fair apple pie contest as the gates of the more than 150-year-old tradition have been shuttered for health and safety precautions in consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
             As this popular State Fair contest punches the pause button for 2020, it provides an opportunity to look back at past champion recipes, unusual quirks, and secret ingredients that have enabled some contestants to gain a winning edge.

            Lelan Statom, Senior Meteorologist with Storm 5 Weather in Nashville and co-host of WTVF’s popular Talk of the Town show, has been a regular member of the judges’ panel for the State Fair apple pie contest for several years.

            Admitting that judging food can often be a challenge, Statom, who disclosed he has a weakness for warm apple pie topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream, said judging a half dozen competitors can be hard but, when you quadruple that, the chore becomes even more difficult.

            He noted that what makes judging the State Fair apple pie contest a bit more difficult is while looking for that extra special touch among three dozen or so entries several competitors are standing nearby watching during the tasting process.

“This alone can be uncomfortable,” Statom acknowledges “and requires my best poker face.”   

            Some winners have insisted that it was the pie crust that made a difference, while others say the contest is won or lost by the taste of the filling.

            “I'm looking for a host of qualities,” Statom said reviewing his responsibilities as a judge.

“What's my first reaction at first bite? Does that first bite make me want more? Is there an extra spice or flavor that doesn't overwhelm?”

            In some cases he said a unique spice “may have taken a pie up a level, and that can often be the difference between a pie that places in the top three versus being the grand champion.” 

            A final tip offered by the veteran judge was to “make the presentation just as appealing as the taste. The pie should look good. A pie’s appearance may justify a one or two point difference in scoring and that may be just enough to earn a champion ribbon.”     

            Beyond these practices, several past champions have shared secret additions they believe have made the difference in separating them from other entrants.

            Molly Callicott of Lawrenceburg confessed that she believed “the touch of Tennessee whiskey” she used to make the cream sauce topping for her entry was the difference that enabled her to be crowned the state’s best apple pie baker in 2013.

            And she’s not the only past champion that has turned to Tennessee spirits to gain an edge in the contest.

            Sherri Williams of Hendersonville said after winning the contest in 2015 that she attributed her success to “a set of God given talents and a potent secret ingredient, moonshine.”

It was the moonshine she said that gave her pie “a bit of added taste.”

            Three years ago the tip espoused by Sharon Paul, the 2017 Apple Pie champion from Livingston, came more as a warning.

            Putting an emphasis on her pie’s crust she implored “don’t over mix” when following the recipe to make the crust.

            Last year’s champion from Murfreesboro, Samantha Sortino, selected from a field of more than three dozen registered entries, offered that any good apple pie and in her case a champion apple pie should be made with Granny Smith apples.

            Below you will find three Tennessee State Fair Champion Apple Pie recipes.

2013 Champion Praline Apple Pie With Tennessee “Honey Jack” Cream

Recipe by Molly Collicott of Lawrenceburg

Praline Crumb Mixture:

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

2 Tbsp butter

Pie Filling:

6 – 8 tart apples - pared, cored, and thinly sliced

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar    

1/4 cup brown sugar  

1/2 tsp apple pie spice    

2 Tbsp butter

Caramel Drizzle:

10 – 12 caramels         

1 Tbsp cream

Honey-Jack Cream:

1 stick softened butter      

1 &1/2cups powdered sugar                                                                              

2 Tbsp Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Whiskey

Pie Crust:   

3 cups all – purpose flour        

1 tsp salt        

1 tsp sugar          

1&1/2 cups Crisco shortening                      

1 egg, beaten          

5 Tbsp cold water       

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

·         Cut shortening into dry ingredients.  Mix egg, water and vinegar and quickly combine with flour mixture.  Chill before rolling out.

·         Cut together ingredients for praline crumb mixture.  Press gently into bottom of unbaked pie crust.

·         Combine apples, sugars, flour and spices.  Pour on top of crumb mixture in pie crust. Dot with butter.

·         Arrange extra crust in a design atop pie. Bake at 375 in center of oven for 1 hour.

·         Melt caramels with cream and drizzle over cooked pie. Sprinkle with additional pecans, if desired. 

·         For Honey Jack cream beat softened butter and gradually add the powdered sugar and whiskey. This should be smooth and able to be dolloped over warm pie.

2015 State Fair Apple Pie Champion

Recipe by Sherri Williams of Hendersonville

Pie Filling:
1 teas. cinnamon

1 stick salted butter

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar
3 TBS all purpose flour

1 TBS cornstarch

1 teas. Vanilla

1/4 cup water

1 TBS. moonshine

·         Melt butter, add flours and sir one minute. Add other ingredients and bring to a boil. Boil and stir over medium heat until the filling becomes thick and darker. Immediately pour over apples. 

Pie Crust:  Mix the following ingredients together and then divide in half.

1 teas. Baking powder

2 1/2 Cups flour

2 teas. Sugar

1/2 teas. Salt

1 cup butter plus 1 Tbs. shortening

1/3 cup ice water

·         Roll out top crust, cutting into lattice strips if preferred. Place top crust over hot apples and crimp the edges. I sprinkle sugar on top. Place on a baking sheet in oven, to prevent spills. Bake at 325* for about an hour. Cover edges if it gets too brown. 

2017 State Fair Apple Pie Champion

Recipe by Sharon Paul of Livingston

Pie Filling Recipe
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 1/2 Tbsp Corn starch
1 Tbsp. butter
6 cups thin sliced apples (golden)

·         Mix dry ingredients and toss with apples and lemon juice. Line pie plate with bottom pastry. Add apple mixture. Top with crust and seal together. Dot the top with butter and cut several slits in the top crust. Bake at 425 for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and enjoy!

Pie Crust Recipe

       3 cups. self-rising flour
       5 Tbsp. water (cold)
       1 1/4 cup shortening
       1 Tbsp. vinegar
       1 egg, well beaten

Combine egg, water, and vinegar. Cut shortening into flour, add egg, water, and vinegar mixture.

Mix until this holds together. Do not over mix. Makes three 9" crusts. Chill for 1 hour. Roll out on       floured surface. Bake according to pie recipe.