Bomaderry’s Fiona and John Cutroni are cheering after taking out silver in the Olympics of the pie world.
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The 28th Great Aussie Pie Competition was held in Darling Harbour recently, with the Southern Pies owners winning silver for two very creative recipes.
Their chicken burrito pie and the Bloody Mary Beef impressed the judges.
Salsa, sour cream, chicken, corn and avocado pack the chicken burrito pie, while Fiona said the Bloody Mary pie is a “cocktail in a pie with slow cooked beef” delight.
Fiona said it was their creativity that impressed the judges.
“You have to come up with a pie that stands out and I don’t think I’ve seen a Bloody Mary beef pie anywhere,” she said.
“The judges also look at the pastry, which is very important. They judge the thickness, the gloss, the filling, all sorts of things.”
Fiona and John travelled to Sydney and watched as the judges each took their winning bite. Unlike wine judging, no pies are wasted.
Both pies had many a turn in the oven while their recipe was being perfected.
“There was a lot of tweaking. I’ve made the Bloody Mary beef recipe at least a dozen times, constantly tweaking it,” Fiona said.
“It’s hard because it’s got tomatoes in it and tomatos, depending on the season and time of year, they can take more or less salt so it’s always changing.
“With the burrito, again, getting that good balance between chilli and flavour is important.”
Both pies have been well-received by their loyal customers, but the Bloody Mary has pulled ahead slightly with their morning tradie run.
The newly introduced chicken parma pie has also proved a hit. Crammed full of crumbed chicken breast, double smoked ham, napolitana sauce and cheese, the pie took out gold at the Wollongong Baking Show this year.
“We took inspiration from the favourites you see on every pub menu and went from there, wrapped it all up in pastry and used the tastiest ingredients for each element in the pie,” John said.
The couple said the chicken parma pie now sits equal in sale with their popular cheeseburger pie.
When it comes to their personal favourite, John said the Bloody Mary beef and the chicken parma are both firm favourites, while the chicken parma has captured Fiona’s heart.
“If I had them lined up in front of me I’d have to say the parma. I inhaled a chicken parma at lunchtime last week and I’m still thinking about it,” Fiona said.
The next creation out of Southern Pies is a little hush hush but Fiona said more pub classics could be on the agenda.
“They’re a bit top secret but we’re working on some favourites, maybe chips and gravy,” she said.