We thought you would enjoy this YouTube video (about 6.5 minutes long) from Saturday’s annual Hyampom Pie Auction fundraiser. This is an annual event in Hyampom to raise money for our Community Hall.
This event has been going on for about 30 years now. The clever music is performed by the Hyampom Church (and John and I and our wines are in it quite a bit).
This year was one of our best evenings yet. We had a full house of over 200 people — pretty good considering the population of Hyampom is 250.
The Hyampom Church served a delicious (and free) chicken and spaghetti dinner to the crowd, and then the auction began.
Sixty gorgeous and delicious desserts were auctioned off along with quite a few wonderful local Hyampom wines (including those from Marni and John Rapf’s Butter Creek Ranch). Thanks to all the amazing bakers and generous folks in Hyampom, we raised over $5,000 to keep our Community Hall open. Auctioneer extraordinaire Tom Loop, along with his eager assistants John Rapf and Pat McCaslin, kept the auction moving at a fast pace. Enjoy.
Lemon Crème Brûlée Tart
(Shown in photo, above.)
Crust:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
4 teaspoons (or more) chilled whipping cream
1 egg white, beaten to blend
Filling
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 cup whipping cream
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon (packed) finely grated lemon peel
Lemon slices (optional)
For crust:
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in processor; blend 5 seconds. Using on/off turns, blend in butter until coarse meal forms. Add 4 teaspoons cream. Using on/off turns, blend until moist clumps form, adding more cream by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap and chill at least 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll out dough on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Fold overhang in, pressing to form double-thick sides. Bake crust until golden, pressing with back of fork if crust bubbles, about 18 minutes (small cracks may appear). Brush inside of hot crust twice with egg white. Maintain oven temperature.
Filling:
Whisk 3/4 cup sugar, cream, yolks, and eggs in bowl to blend well. Mix in lemon juice and lemon peel. Pour filling into warm crust. Bake until filling is slightly puffed at edges and set in center, about 30 minutes. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
Preheat broiler. Place tart on baking sheet. Cover edge of crust with foil to prevent burning. Sprinkle tart with 2 tablespoons sugar. Broil tart until sugar melts and caramelizes, turning sheet for even browning, about 2 minutes. Transfer tart to rack. Cool until topping is crisp, about 1 hour.
Push tart pan bottom up, releasing tart. Place on platter, garnish with lemon slices, if desired, and serve.
Source: Bon Appétit, April 2004
Cashew Coconut Tart in Chocolate Crust
(Shown in photo, above.)
Crust:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon (generous) salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, diced
1 1/2 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger *
1 9.25-ounce can (about 2 cups) lightly salted roasted cashews
1 cup flaked sweetened coconut
5 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
Spray 11-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom with nonstick spray.
Blend flour, sugar, cocoa and salt in processor 5 seconds. Add butter and blend until moist sandy texture forms. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons ice water and blend until dough comes together. Press dough evenly onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Chill crust 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place crust on baking sheet. Bake crust until dry-looking and slightly puffed, about 18 minutes. Cool crust on rack completely. Maintain oven temperature.
Filling:
Bring brown sugar, cream, maple syrup and ginger to boil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking gently until sugar dissolves. Attach candy thermometer to side of pan. Adjust heat to maintain low boil; cook until thermometer registers 222 degrees, whisking occasionally, about 8 minutes. Mix in cashews and coconut. Cool 20 minutes.
Place chopped chocolate in small microwave-safe bowl. Cook at medium setting in 15-second intervals until soft and beginning to melt. Stir until completely melted and smooth. Brush enough chocolate over inside of crust to coat completely. Freeze crust until chocolate is cold and hard, about 15 minutes (reserve remaining melted chocolate for garnish).
Pour filling into crust. Place tart on rimmed baking sheet. Bake until filling is beginning to darken on top and is bubbling thickly, about 35 minutes. Transfer tart to rack. Cool completely. Re-melt reserved chocolate in microwave. Drizzle chocolate over tart in lacy pattern. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; store at room temperature.)
(Marni’s note: I followed the recipe but substituted rehydrated cracked ginger for the fresh ginger. Sometimes I make it without the ginger, but this time I got many compliments for the ginger in it. Most people thought it was candied ginger, because the recipe is sweet.)
Recipe from Bon Appetit November, 2005 
Marni Rapf and her husband John are vintners who own and operate Butter Creek Ranch in Hyampom. They are currently selling their 2007 Butter Creek Chardonnay, 2007 Butter Creek Pinot Noir and a red blend, their 2006 Trinity Noir. Butter Creek wines are available directly form the winery, or at these select North State locations: Tops’ Sunset Marketplace in Redding, Top’s in Weaverville and La Grange Cafe and Mountain Marketplace in Weaverville. Avalon Restaurant in Eureka, Folie Douce and Arcata Co-op in Arcata, and Wiley’s Market in Hayfork.
