Harry Potter may be the Boy Who Lived, but Chris Taylor is the Boy Who Won. Taking a little inspiration from J.K. Rowling's famous book-series-turned-empire, the Georgia-based baker took home a blue ribbon for his lightning bolt-topped Fizzing Butterbeer Pie at this year's National Pie Championships in Orlando, FL—and he's sharing exactly how it's made.
He got the idea shortly after last year's competition, when he and his husband extended their stay in O-Town to spend a few days at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. "I had some Butterbeer there, and since my mind was still on pie, I thought, 'What about turning this into a dessert?'" Taylor says. He completely forgot about the combination until three months ago, when he was trying to finalize his entries for the 2016 championship.
He dreamed up a creamy pie filling that tastes like a blend of cream soda and butterscotch, trying to get it as close to Harry's beloved drink as possible. After three tests, he finally came up with a blend he liked, going from using all butterscotch chips to a 50/50 mix of butterscotch and white chocolate, so it wouldn't taste like you're biting into a massive Werther's candy.
Still, it needed something else—a twist worthy of standing out amid the 400 or so pies at the National Pie Championships. Taylor turned to his previous hits for inspiration, landing on a winner from two years ago: Rockin' Poppin' Root Beer Pie.
"It was a good pie and a little kitschy, which people seemed to love," he says. "The big surprise was that it featured chocolate-covered popping candy, like Pop Rocks, which gave it a slight fizzy taste."
You don't notice the fizziness right away; it takes a few bites, and there's a trick to adding them to the pie without having them dissolve completely.
"They have to be covered in chocolate, but you have to let the chocolate cool a little before pouring it on the popping sugar," he says. "Otherwise it will melt the candy and you'll wind up with a pile of popping, melted chocolate."
Taylor buys popping candy in bulk, breaking up the pieces and smearing a light layer of white chocolate on top of them—just enough to keep the candy from touching the cream pie, which would cause it to dissolve.
"It's like creating a bark or brittle," he explains. Once the chocolate has set, he covered the cream pie with pieces of the popping candy bark, then covered the entire pie in whipped cream "bubbles" remniscent of the frothy layer of foam atop the classic drink.
As a final touch, he melted butterscotch-colored Candy Melts—which tend to melt smoother and easier than regular butterscotch chips—and filled them in a lightning bolt-shaped silicone mold he found at New York Cake, a baking supply shop.
"The swirls on top were kind of a goof. I had made some, but they were too big. I packed them with me anyway, and when I got to Florida, I realized I didn't have enough lightning bolts to top the pie. It looked a little plain, so I broke up the swirl pieces and added those too," he says.
To create your own, pour melted butterscotch chips or Candy Melts into a piping bag (or plastic bag with a corner snipped off), and draw them on a sheet of parchment paper, then set them aside to cool and harden.
Taylor and the American Pie Council, which hosts the championships, were kind enough to share the recipe with us, in case you want to try it yourself.
Get the recipe.
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