Thanksgiving Pie Tips with Miro Uskokovic

(Holy) Cannoli Pie

with Watkins 

Turkeys often get all the attention on Thanksgiving, but at Feedfeed our favorite part is the pie. From flaky crusts to creamy fillings, the art of making pies deserves an event of its own. That’s why we partnered with Watkins, one of the world’s top purveyors in natural and gourmet flavoring products, to host a virtual Pie Making Workshop led by Gramercy Tavern pastry chef Miro Uskokovic and hosted by Jake Cohen.

For our event, Chef Miro demonstrated his cannoli pie recipe with a buttery cinnamon infused cookie crust and creamy vanilla ricotta filling #HolyCannoliPie! 

The attendees, 40 influencers from the Feedfeed community, were sent baking kits with all the Watkins holiday baking staples to perfect their pies for Tuesday’s event. Participants will also have a chance to win our #perfectthepie giveaway.

To enhance the pie’s key flavors, it’s essential to use high-quality flavoring products like Watkins award-winning Organic Pure Vanilla Extract and Organic Ground Cinnamon to strike the right balance of sweet and spice (without artificial ingredients or added dyes).  

Throughout the demo, Chef Miro unveiled how he builds the dimensions of flavor in his pie with Watkins Organic Pure Vanilla Extract and Watkins Organic Ground Cinnamon by browning butter and adding vanilla to the filling at different stages of the cooking process. Browning butter serves two purposes — toasting the milk solids in the butter compliments the nutty flavor of the hazelnuts in the crust and the melted fat serves as a vehicle for the Watkins cinnamon and vanilla to infuse the crust with their natural flavor.

We hope you’ll try The Watkins' gourmet spices and extracts soon if you haven’t already — you’ll take your holiday pies and desserts to the next level with their award-winning, high quality, organic spices, extracts, seasoning mixes, decorating sugars and sprinkles and food coloring.

Big thanks to Watkins for the pie baking essentials for our guests and Chef Miro for his recipe and demo!