I have a dear friend coming to visit from out of state for a few days who loves to cook and try new things. One of the things that has interested me lately is flavored pie crust. I’m hoping she will be up for experimenting with me!
In my research I have come across many interesting flavors and flavor combinations to try. I have also learned less is best when adding flavors to pie crust. The idea is to enhance the filling flavor and not to compete with it. Vanilla would probably work with just about any pie filling but citrus would work best with fruit pies and many herbs would work great with savory pot pies.
Dry flavorings work better than liquid as you don’t want to add too much moisture to the pie crust. Extra moisture could cause the pie crust to become tough. Extracts, like vanilla or almond, even though liquid, would add very little moisture compared to the flavor they would impart. In general though, it is best to add dry flavorings. Citrus zest would be a better choice than citrus juice.
I found some very interesting combinations online using herbs and poppy seeds as well as cream cheese, peanut butter, and chocolate. Cinnamon would be a nice addition for a pumpkin pie. I think our first attempt will be with peanut butter. It seems a bit labor intensive to freeze the peanut butter in a thin layer and cut it into cubes before cutting it into the pastry mixture but I think it will definitely be worth it to use with a chocolate cream pie!
Here are some suggestions from Bon Appetit to get you started thinking:
•¼ tsp. ground allspice + ½ tsp. orange blossom water in crust —> pumpkin or sweet potato pie filling
•1 tsp. poppyseeds + 1 tsp. thyme leaves in crust —> lemon meringue pie filling
•¼ tsp. ground anise + seeds from ½ vanilla pod —> apple pie filling
•1 tsp. finely chopped rosemary + 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest —> apple pie filling
•1 tsp. poppyseeds + 1 tsp. thyme leaves —> chocolate pie filling
•½ tsp. almond extract + 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest in crust —> chess or other custard pie filling
