Sweet Success at the Fridley 49er Days

The weather has been to blame. The location. Lack of volunteers. All of these and more have contributed to the decline of attendance and prestige over the years for the Fridley 49er Days. This year, the 49er committee was determined to breathe new life into what many dubbed as a dying community event.

It started with re-imaging. A new logo was created that encompasses the festival and the City of Fridley, giving it a fresh look and consistent brand recognition for years to come. Next, a location with ample parking was made possible with local business Medtronic (Rice Creek campus). New and favorite events alike were sprinkled throughout the week-end including the kick-off parade, Fridley Idol, the Car Show, Fridley all School Reunion (1958-present), Touch a Truck and Train, Tamarisk Bingo, Fridley Ambassador Program, the Pie Baking Contest and the resurrection of The Carnival, to name a few.

The day of the Pie Baking Contest, Saturday afternoon, brought beautiful weather and fifty-nine bakers. They came in hopeful and excited, carrying their pies with the delicacy of a newborn baby. And babies they were! Beautiful ones, with crusts formed into elaborate decorations--anything from flowers, to letters spelling out “Fridley 49er Days”.

The three judges from corporate Bakers Square had a marathon day of tasting. They used their scoring system they developed to judge contests throughout the Twin Cities, giving every pie an equal shot at winning the $1,000 grand prize.

Financial One Credit Union was proud to sponsor the grand prize money. Executive Vice President, Ross Bloomquist, says “Supporting community events like this is important. Money and creativity go hand in hand. One enables the other, and can go in either direction. I’m curious to learn about the different pies that were entered—but sure am glad I don’t have to judge!”

After a delayed announcement (due to the high participation), the winner was Tammy Kane-Nyene from St. Paul. She baked a Tiramisu Pie that the judges rated highest in Presentation, Originality, Taste, and Texture.

The winner, Tammy, plans to make repairs on her car as well as treat her family to a stay-cation. Upon winning she said, “I can’t believe I won! This was so much fun to try, thank you Financial One”.

Tammy was generous enough to share her winning recipe.

WINNING TIRAMISU PIE at the Fridley 49er Days 2013

Crust:

1 package Double Stuff Oreos
3 oz cream cheese (softened)

Custard Filling:

6 egg yolks
3/4 cups sugar
1/3 cup milk
2 tbsp rum extract
1 lb mascarpone cheese

Whipped cream topping:

1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 Skor Bar (crushed)

Instructions:

Crust - Crush into tiny bits all the Oreos. Mix in the cream cheese until all Oreos are mixed in. Press half the mixture into a pie plate. Place these in the fridge and allow to chill. This recipe will make 2 - 9 inch pie crusts

Custard - Mix the egg yolks and sugar in a sauce pan. Once completely mixed, stir in the milk. On medium heat and continuously stirring, heat ingredients until they boil and continue to boil for about one minute. Take off heat and add the rum extract. Set aside and let cool. Once cooled a bit in the pan, put into the fridge tightly covered for one hour. Once cooled in fridge, mix in the mascarpone cheese. Pour into the chilled pie crust. Top with whipped cream and Skor Bar.

Whipped cream - place the heavy whip cream and vanilla extract into a glass or metal bowl. Mix with hand mixer, on high, until stiff peaks form. Spread onto the pie liberally and top with crushed Skor Bar.

To learn more about the Sponsor of this event, Financial One Credit Union, go to www.FinancialOneCU.com