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Pie Pairings: Make Dessert Match Your Meal

Pie Pairings: Make Dessert Match Your Meal

November 30, 2015

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Pie is never out of place in my home, especially when the air cools, nightfall comes earlier, and we return to our favourite fall and winter comfort foods. A tender and flavourful crust combined with a sensational filling is always a welcome sight at the end of a delicious family dinner, whatever the occasion. Some flavours go together so naturally that matching a pie to your meal makes dessert the perfect finishing touch.

Fruit pies are a favourite with practically everyone and compliment most main courses easily, particularly hearty fare like seared steaks, chili con carne and roasted chicken. But a world of other pies, such as cream pies and sugar pies, make a satisfying finish to other meals.

Here are some simple guidelines to help you choose which pies go best with what you’re serving:

Red Meats, Hearty Soups and Stews – Fruit pies (cherry, apple, peach, strawberry-rhubarb)

Pork and Poultry – Berry and fruit puree pies (blueberry, blackberry, pumpkin, sweet potato)

Fish and Seafood – Custard or cream pies (lemon meringue, key lime, banana cream, coconut cream)

Pasta and Risotto – Chocolate pies (chocolate silk, mocha mousse, peanut butter chocolate)

Creamy Dishes and Vegetables – Sugar or nut pies (brown sugar, maple, pecan, butter tart, raisin)

Lighter fare – Crustless pies (crustless pumpkin, crustless custard)

A short timeframe doesn’t have to mean pie is off the menu. Sometimes I’m in the mood for trying something new or intricate, like a beautiful cherry pie top decorated with pastry leaves, and other times it’s just about using what’s at hand – like an abundance of apples from our backyard tree – to get dessert in the oven quickly and without a fuss. Instead of a double crust with crimped edge, consider doing a single crust pie with crumb topping or a cookie crumb base which doesn’t require any rolling. A rustic galette baked on a sheet pan is also a great way to speed up pie making.

From chocolate to cherry and pecan to peanut butter, the world of pies offers endless delectable pairing opportunities...the choice is yours to enjoy!

 

Amy Bronee

Amy Bronee is the blogger behind Family Feedbag where she shares simple recipes and mouth-watering images from her Victoria (BC) kitchen. Amy has earned much recognition including a Jamie Oliver Blog of the Month award, and she was named on the Top 40 Foodies Under 40 list by Western Living magazine. Her bestselling cookbook The Canning Kitchen: 101 Simple Small Batch Recipes was published by Penguin Canada in June, 2015.