The simple strawberry rhubarb pie is a wonderful way to combine the comforts of fresh fruit with a tangy root vegetable. A classic pie that’s nearly synonymous with springtime, the care that goes into crafting this dessert is what makes it well worth every bite. To prepare the perfect strawberry rhubarb pie, you’ll need to either make your favorite from-scratch pie crust or choose an ideal store-bought version to serve as the base for a robust fruit filling. Using vanilla bean paste in your pie filling is the best way to incorporate it into your baked goods and amp up the flavor with a punch of extra floral sweetness.
Knowing the differences between vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract will help you to better understand the paste’s usefulness in a strawberry rhubarb pie. With a thicker consistency and bolder flavor, mixing vanilla bean paste into your fruit filling will alter both the taste and the texture of your pie for a more complex and fulfilling flavor profile. Albeit more expensive than vanilla extract, the paste is considerably easy to use and will guarantee a pie to satisfy.
Adding vanilla bean paste to your pie
Using fresh strawberries that you’ve taken care to stem and hull alongside meticulously cleaned rhubarb stalks will yield the most flavorful fruit filling for your pie. Slice your rhubarb stalks about a quarter of an inch thick and thinly slice your strawberries for a delightful variance in both taste and texture. You can choose either tapioca or cornstarch to combine with the fruit, sugar, and brown sugar for a properly thickened pie filling. This is also an excellent point at which to add your vanilla bean paste to enhance the complexity of the flavor.
It’s easy to make your own vanilla bean paste by processing a mixture of vanilla beans, extract, and sweetener. For more convenience, simply grab a tube of McCormick Vanilla Bean Paste to use in your pie. As with vanilla extract, you won’t need much to make a big impact on your pie filling. About a teaspoon should suffice as long as you ensure it’s thoroughly mixed in with your fruit and sweeteners.
