Matawan Woman, Son Win Third Place In Local Apple Pie Contest

BELFORD, NJ — Fourteen people total entered pies in the first-ever Apple Pie Contest, held Sunday afternoon at Ross Brewing in Belford.

A panel of judges judged on appearance, creativity and taste. And a local Matawan woman and her son took home the third-place prize.

Jennifer McCue and her son Daniel, 12, made a pie with a very strong — but not overpowering —cinnamon flavor and a cinnamon-butter crumb topping that was out of this world.

"We used four different kinds of apples, cinnamon, vanilla and just a little bit of lemon in the filling," shares McCue. "What I do is bake the pie and while the crumb topping is still hot I pour a little caramel over the top, so it melts into the pie. That way you don't get overwhelmed by caramel taste."

First place winner was Lauren DeSanti, 40, a Belford resident and professional baker. DeSanti took home the blue ribbon for her caramel apple crumb pie, which was sweet, buttery and rich. DeSanti runs a licensed baking business, Whisky Business, out of her Belford home. Also, her pumpkin pie took home first place last week at a pumpkin pie contest held at the Grove in Shrewsbury.

DeSanti's advice is to "use only the absolute best ingredients you can find. High-quality ingredients really make a big difference. For example, I buy the best vanilla I can find, Nielsen-Massey vanillas; I think it starts at $35 for a small bottle and you can only find it at Williams Sonoma."

Middletown resident Christine Ward won second place.

"My grandma taught me how to make pies," she beamed over her pie. "I'll never forget she said to me, do you want to do it your way or do you want to do it the right way? I used all apples I picked from Delicious Orchards. The funniest thing is my grandmother always told me don't worry about the crust; Pillsbury pastry dough is fine. And that's what I used today and I still won second place!"

If you missed your chance to compete this year, don't worry: Ross Brewery owner John Ross Cocozza said he plans to hold the apple pie contest every November.