First Place - Carol Hales🥇

Luscious Strawberry Guava Pie

Congratulations to Carol Hales on winning first place! This marks Carol’s second first-place victory in our Annual Pie Contest. Her first win was in 2021, making this another exciting achievement for one of our returning champions!

Ingredients – Pie Filling

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 2 cups guava, peeled, seeded and quartered
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 (9-inch) pie plate lined with pastry dough

Ingredients – Best Pie Crust Ever!

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup shortening
• ⅓ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vinegar

Directions – Pie Filling

1. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and salt together.
2. In a separate bowl, stir strawberries, guava, lemon juice and vanilla together.
3. Add the sugar mixture to the fruit mixture and stir to combine.
4. Roll out half of the pastry dough between two pieces of floured wax paper. Line the pie plate with the bottom crust.
5. Roll out the other half in the same manner in a rectangular shape. For a lattice top, cut 12 one-inch strips. Lay them on top of the fruit mixture and weave them over and under each strip. Alternatively, make the top crust into a circle and cut vent holes.
6. Sprinkle coarse sugar on top.
7. Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, then continue baking for 30–40 minutes until brown.
8. Place a cookie sheet underneath the pie to catch any juice drips.

Directions – Pie Crust

1. Mix all ingredients on low speed in an electric mixer until combined, approximately 1–2 minutes.
2. This recipe makes one double crust.
3. Roll out the dough between two floured pieces of wax paper.

Second Place - Alex Duggal🥈

Apple Pie with Black Pepper Caramel

Congratulations to Alex Duggal for earning second place with his creative Apple Pie! His recipe features green apples, warm cardamom, vanilla and a unique black pepper caramel.

Ingredients – Pie Filling

• Green apples
• Butter
• Passion fruit
• Brown sugar
• Flour
• Cardamom
• Vanilla

Ingredients – Black Pepper Caramel

• Sugar
• Butter
• Cream
• Black pepper

Ingredients – Pie Dough

• Flour
• Butter
• Ice water

Additional Finishing Ingredients

• Demerara sugar
• Egg wash

Note: The ingredient list above is shared as provided by the contestant. Specific measurements and preparation instructions were not included.

Third Place - Mariana Mejia Fuentes🥉

Apple Streusel Pie

Congratulations to Mariana Mejia Fuentes for taking third place with her delicious Apple Streusel Pie! This recipe combines a homemade pie crust, spiced apple filling and a buttery pecan streusel topping.

Ingredients – Streusel Topping

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• ¼ cup toasted pecans

Ingredients – Pie Crust

• 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons shortening
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 3–4 tablespoons ice-cold water

Ingredients – Apple Pie Filling

• 5 lbs Granny Smith apples
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ tablespoons ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ginger
• ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon cloves
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions – Streusel Topping

1. Combine flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt and pecans.
2. Add melted butter and mix until small clumps are formed.
3. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Directions – Pie Crust

1. Combine flour, salt and sugar.
2. Add cold butter and shortening.
3. Slowly add water until the dough comes together.
4. Roughly roll out and fold twice to create layers.
5. Chill for 30 minutes, then roll out to fit the pie dish and crimp the edges.
6. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Directions – Apple Pie Filling

1. In a large bowl, slice apples and toss them with half of the sugar, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Let sit for 45 minutes.
2. Add butter to a large pot and melt over medium heat.
3. Add the apples without their juices (set the juices aside) and cook with the remaining sugar, cornstarch, salt and spices.
4. Cook for 15 minutes. Allow the apples to cool for 30–45 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 425°F.
6. While the oven is preheating, add the remaining apple juices to a saucepan and cook until thickened, approximately 8–10 minutes. This will be added to the apples before baking.
7. Assemble the pie without the streusel topping and bake for 15 minutes.
8. Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for another 15 minutes.
9. Remove the pie from the oven and quickly add the streusel topping.
10. Bake for another 30 minutes or until the syrup is bubbling around the edges of the pie.

Thank You to Our Bakers! 🥧

Thank you to all the contestants, judges and community members who helped make this year’s contest a success.

We are excited to share these winning recipes with our community so you can bring a little taste of the Torrance Certified Farmers’ Market into your own kitchen!

Congratulations again to our 2026 winners!