Dutch-Oven Dessert Cook Off

We also had the Quick family reunion about a week later.  We had a lot of fun playing games, seeing family, and of course eating.  My parents decided that the dessert cook off was so much fun at my Dad's reunion that we should do it at the Quick one too!  I decided I might as well compete.

I soon found out that almost everyone was going to cook something and they were practicing to make sure it would be just right.  So of course the competitiveness in me began to come out.  We practiced making and apple pie in the dutch oven and it surprisingly turned out so well!  So I was set for the competition, thinking I had done it before and shouldn't make any mistakes.

I love to watch competitions on Food Network and I sometimes wonder how when they cook and practice everyday they can ever forget something or mess something up.  Well I now know : ).  We were given a time limit and it didn't seem like enough time at all!  I was hurrying so fast I totally forgot to put the sugar in the pie crust, which I didn't notice till after the whole pie was made and the lattice top put on. It went a little something like this:

Me: Mom, does this pie crust taste salty to you?

Mom: Woah! Yeah did you put too much salt?  Its WAY salty!

Me: No I swear I know I put the right.....(I was looking at the recipe).....Awww I forgot to put the sugar in!

Mom:  How much sugar did it call for?

Me: ummm....a 1/3 of a cup (cringing).

Mom: Thats a lot of sugar....we'll just have to see.

I was sure that I had ruined the whole thing and gave up all hope of winning.  The good thing about the pie that I chose is that the filling is extremely sweet and right under the top crust is a whole ton of sugar.  You sprinkle a mixture of brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and pecans on top of the apples before you put the top crust on.  So when the pie was done and I tried the first bite I was pleasantly surprised to find it was even better without all that sugar in the crust.  It helped to balance the sweetness of the filling!

Everyone had to sample the different desserts and then on a silent, private ballot cast their votes.  They announced the third and then the second.  My name wasn't in either and I knew I had won!  We got a 12" lodge dutch oven which is great because we only had one 10" one!!  (my Dad was in charge of the prizes and of course went all out on the dutch oven stuff : ).   I felt like I was in a food network competition for a couple of hours.  The only thing missing was the $10,000 check at the end : ).