Deliciousness: Peach Cream Cheese Pie

When I was a kid in Texas, my family went to the State Fair every year. It was held in Dallas, so it wasn't that far away from where we lived in Colleyville; sometimes, we'd even go twice. My favorite stop, which will come as no surprise to any of you, was the creative arts building. Jam-packed with more than 100 categories of arts and crafts, this place was a mecca for a girl whose crafting experiences were mostly solitary. Each year, I would stare enviously at the blue, red and yellow ribbons gracing the entries, believing a blue ribbon to be the highest achievement possible in crafting. I fantasized about entering some of my projects into the fray, but somehow, never did.

Fast-forward 15 years, and I now find myself disqualified to enter most of these events, due to my status as a professional knitwear designer. (Although, oddly enough, I think the Texas State Fair may  have a category for professionals, and you do not have to be currently living in Texas to enter. Hmmm....) Anyway, this year I was asked to judge the Missouri State Fair, and I cannot even tell you how excited I was to accept! For me, this honor was something I would not have even been able to imagine as a child in that creative arts building. ME? Judging other folks' entries? Wow.

A pile of lovelies, waiting to be judged

I teamed up with one of my local yarn store owners and made the trip out to Sedalia yesterday to judge the entries. We had 11 categories of knitting to review, and I was surprised to see that more than a few of them had less than 4 entries. Get submitting to your state fairs, people! :)

Does anyone recognize this crescent shawl pattern? I would love to know what this is.
Edit: This is none other than my friend, Corrina Ferguson's, pattern, Daphne Ann!

Overall, I had an amazing time. Everything in the Home Economics Building was being judged on the same day, which meant we shared the space with the judges for quilting, baking, canning, sewing, weaving, and the like. Since we were there all day (it took us about 8 hours to judge all the entries), each judge was asked to bring a dish for a giant potluck lunch. My contribution? This peach & cream cheese pie:

I'm gonna go ahead and say it: this pie is ridiculous. No-bake cheesecake on the bottom, and sweet, juicy peaches on top. I made one of these using fresh peaches from my farmer's market for a small dinner party the Dr. and I hosted a couple of weeks ago, but yesterday's pie was made of store-bought peaches and was every bit as tasty. I like this recipe because it comes together quickly and doesn't require any fancy ingredients or, really, kitchen skills.

I may have eaten the last slice for breakfast...what? It's fruit, that makes it healthy, right?

Here's my recipe, modified from Cooks.com:

• 9" pie shell, baked
• 2 T cornstarch 
• 3/4 cup sugar 
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1/2 cup peach puree (I peeled and pitted one large peach and popped it in the Magic Bullet until smooth)
• 2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 t vanilla extract
• 4 cups peaches, peeled and diced to bite-size pieces

Combine cornstarch, sugar, water, peach puree, and lemon juice in medium pan. Bring to boil, stirring; boil until thickened (3-4 minutes). Remove from heat; cool (I put mine in the refrigerator while I'm preparing the rest of the pie). Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread evenly in pie shell. Combine peaches and cooled puree mixture; pour over cream cheese. Chill 2-3 hours or overnight before serving.

I think this method could be used for a wide variation of fruits; try it with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, kiwis, or a mixture of your favorite fruits! As the fruit itself doesn't get cooked, I don't think this would be great for apples, but otherwise, the sky's the limit! If you decide to mix it up, do let me know how it goes, won't you?

Ooh, I almost forgot! I'm a bit late for announcing the winner of Susan Crawford's Coronation Knits giveaway, but it's Zabbers! Congrats, Zabbers! You have 3 days to claim your prize by emailing me at sarahATsexyknitter.com with your mailing address, or dropping me a line on Ravelry.

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