VENTURA COUNTY FAIR : Victory Tastes Sweet for Pie Contest’s Rookie Competitor

Sandy Hess’ children have urged her to enter the Ventura County Fair’s lemon meringue pie contest for five years. And for five years, the Newbury Park mother of seven said no.

But last Christmas, Hess’ 35-year-old daughter, Wendy Gutierrez, gave her mother a beautiful apron and made her promise to enter the pie competition and wear it.

Hess finally gave in. And on Friday, dressed in that fruit-print apron, she became this year’s grand winner of the pie contest, billed by fair officials as the oldest and most prestigious of the fair’s cooking exhibitions.

“I’ve got goose bumps,” said Hess, 54, after hearing her name called. “My knees are shaking.”

Hess beat out three other contestants to take home the blue ribbon and $100 in prize money. Second-place finisher Beth Holmberg of Moorpark got a red ribbon and $50, and her sister, Michele Pilimai, also of Moorpark, won the white third-place ribbon and $25.

All of the pie makers, including fourth-place finisher Glenda Jackson of Montalvo, received a juicer, compliments of sponsor Sunkist Growers.

None of the fair officials knew exactly when the first lemon meringue pie contest was held. But most agreed it started not long after the 100-year-old fair was founded by the 31st Agricultural District in 1895.

Dick Kossow, 78, said he has seen 30 or 40 pie contests. The Ojai retiree was sitting in the audience Friday afternoon as the four women faced off in front of a crowd of about 30.

“I remember in the ‘50s when [Southern California] Edison started a battle with the [Southern California] Gas Company to give away the best prizes” at the Ventura County Fair, Kossow said. “They were giving away stoves and stuff like that.”

Today, there are only a handful of other cooking contests during the 12-day fair, which runs through Aug. 27 at Seaside Park in Ventura. On Thursday, the county’s brownie makers had their turn. And on Tuesday, amateur cooks will try their hand at whipping up creative recipes using Spam.

Friday’s pie contest brought together four women with varying degrees of baking experience. Holmberg, 33, said she once considered becoming a chef and has made dozens of meringue pies.

But it was only the second time her sister had attempted one.

“I tried one at home to practice,” said Pilimai, a mother of two and pregnant with a third. “I’m just doing this for fun.”

It was the fifth pie contest for Jackson, 42, who has never won but vows to continue trying.

Hess said she has been baking pies since she got married at age 18.

Her mother never taught her how to cook, Hess said, so one day she decided to learn how to make pies. She got out a five-pound bag of flour and a vat of Crisco and spent the whole day trying different combinations of ingredients to get the crust to the light, flaky consistency she wanted, Hess recalled.

She put that experience to work Friday. Although flustered at first--she got to the contest 10 minutes late because of a mix-up in the start time--Hess soon settled down and got busy.

Like the other contestants, Hess fretted most about her meringue topping. Meringues are difficult customers. They weep. They slide. And sometimes they turn pink.

“Mine turned pink for some reason last year,” Jackson said. “It was a pretty pink, but the judges don’t like it.”

But Hess’ meringue, like her crust, looked picture-perfect Friday. It was glossy white with peaks lightly browned. Holmberg’s pie, piled with meringue five inches high, also drew crowds of admirers.

The ultimate decision came from the judges, and Hess squeaked by Holmberg by just a few points. Now that she has the Lemon Meringue Pie under her belt, Hess said her children have another goal.

“Next year, they want me to enter my pumpkin pie.”

* FAIR SCHEDULE: B2

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Sandy Hess’ Prizewinning Lemon Meringue Pie

PIE CRUST

1 cup flour

1/2 cup butter-flavored Crisco

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. finely grated lemon rind

2-3 tbsp. liquid (water, beer, 7-Up, fruit juice)

Preheat oven to 450 F. Mix flour, salt, lemon rind and shortening with pastry blender until pea-sized. Add liquid slowly, blending with a fork. Roll out the dough on a floured surface. Fold in half and gently place in a nine-inch pie plate. Trim or flute edges neatly. Bake for 15 minutes. Prick any bubbles with a fork.

LEMON FILLING

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 1/2 cups water

3 egg yolks

3 tbsp. butter

4 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tbsp. grated lemon rind, combination of medium and fine

Place sugar, cornstarch and water in a medium-sized saucepan. Over medium heat, cook until thick and boil for one minute, stirring constantly. Stir in three slightly beaten egg yolks and boil one minute more. Remove from heat and add the butter, juice and lemon rind. Blend. Pour into baked pie shell.

MERINGUE

3 egg whites

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

6 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 F. Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy and partly stiff. Add the sugar gradually while still beating. Add the vanilla and continue beating on high until you can peak the egg whites. Spread over the pie, making sure to seal the crust. Touch surface lightly with spatula to bring up peaks. Bake for about 10 minutes. Check every minute after five minutes have elapsed. Remove and cool before serving.