FOOD NEWS
The Smoky Ingredient Alton Brown Lives By For Fruit Pies
By Alli Neal
Alton Brown may have been born in California, but he basically grew up in Georgia. As a Southern boy, he knows a good peach pie and recommends adding smoked paprika.
"Adding spices to fruity desserts," Brown says, "adds considerable dimension to flavors that all too often just taste plain sweet."
Adding ½ teaspoon of paprika per 4 cups of peaches and ½ cup of sugar is just enough to balance the sweetness of the filling and impart a complex flavor without overpowering it.
Smoked paprika can be hot or sweet and has a smoky flavor, but it's also bittersweet, earthy, and fruity. The tangy, citrusy, tart citric acid balances the peaches' sweetness.
Don't be afraid to add paprika to the spice mix for a sliced peach pie. This method also works with other stone fruit pies — particularly plums, cherries, nectarines, and apricots.