Alton Brown's Special Trick For Elevating Any Fruit Pie

Peach season is here and there is no better time to start whipping up peach recipes. Fruit pies are one of the best ways to utilize peaches and other fabulous summer fruits. The only drawback with making fruit pies is that it is easy to fall prey to mistakes while making pies, like not filling the fruit pie enough.

Fortunately, Alton Brown has a neat hack that will boost the flavor of any fruit pie. He recommends adding paprika to expand the flavor profile of the pie filling. Plus, he also uses this trick when making frozen fruit pie filling, which is super convenient to have stored away in the freezer.

Using paprika in fruit pie is a nifty trick that budding bakers can keep in their back pocket. Just ½ teaspoon of the spice is all that is required. Whether it is a classic peach pie or something more unique like lemon blueberry pie, a touch of paprika will bring a sweet treat to new heights.

Alton Brown specifically calls for smoked paprika in his frozen peach pie recipe. The concept of adding smoked paprika to dessert is much like adding cinnamon. Essentially, the addition of spice will just expand on the flavor of the fruit and make the pie filling all the tastier.

Not only does paprika add depth to fruit pie filling, but it also helps cut down on sweetness. According to Alton Brown, paprika is a great addition to fruit pies that "just taste plain sweet." Although he makes this note specifically in a peach pie recipe, he does state that this trick can be used with just about any fruit pie filling.

There are several variations when it comes to using paprika in fruit pies. Some call for an increased amount of paprika to add more heat to the filling. Others suggest using sweet paprika or plain paprika if smoked paprika is not available. Additionally, it is recommended to add paprika to a spice blend, like with cinnamon, ginger, or cloves, to really bring out the unique flavors in a fruit pie.