Upon entering Hoosier Mama Pie Company and Dollop Coffee & Tea Co., you’re greeted with a warm, cozy atmosphere and the scrumptious scent of fresh coffee and baking pie crust. The sunlit, airy space is the perfect vibe for a coffee catch-up with a friend, a place to study or a morning stop for a scone. Hoosier Mama offers countless goods like sweet and savory pies, quiches, biscuit sandwiches, regular sandwiches, assorted baked goods and every kind of coffee and tea you could imagine.
For this visit, I was particularly interested in the selection of pies that Hoosier Mama offers, so I sampled four different kinds of pie: pork, apple and sage; chicken tomatillo tamale; sour cherry and apple crumble, and pumpkin chocolate swirl. Other than the odd looks I received for the vast amount of pie I ordered, my experience at Hoosier Mama was quite enjoyable and I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the pie. If you want to visit, I wouldn’t count on being able to get the same flavors as I did because they rotate often, but you can be sure they’ll be something new to try.
Pork, Apple and Sage
I was extremely excited to try the pork, apple and sage because the combination of sweet and savory is right up my alley. I got the slice heated up in the shop, and as soon as I tasted the crust I was immediately blown away. It was impossibly flakey and the perfect textural combination of crispy but melt-in-your-mouth. The succulent filling was a mixture of ground pork, caramelized onions and chunks of apples and potatoes seasoned with grainy mustard and plenty of umami, making it incredibly savory tasting, and when you got the perfect bite of filling and crust it was almost addictive. But, I did have a few issues with it: it’s pretty indulgent, so I wasn’t able to eat more than a few bites, and the sage flavor didn't really come through which was a disappointment.
Chicken Tomatillo Tamale
Suggested by the cashier, the second slice I tried was the chicken tomatillo tamale, and I got this one warmed up as well. It was quite heavy on the chicken, but with the shockingly delicious chile cream sauce it was mixed with I didn’t mind at all. It had a wonderful spice without actually being spicy, and the bold flavors coated my tongue in a way that kept me coming back for more. In contrast to the pork and apple, this slice had a typical crust incorporated with cornmeal, so it was much more substantial, which worked well with the admittedly heavy filling. My only criticism was that the outside border of the crust was rather thick, leaving it a little dry and tough to get through. Otherwise, this slice of pie was easily the best one I tried.
Sour Cherry and Apple
Next, I tried the sour cherry and apple with oat crumble. Sadly, they were not able to warm it up, which I’m still a bit confused as to why. The slice was incredibly nostalgic and tasted just like my mom’s fruit crumbles. The sour cherry flavor definitely came through and the tartness level satisfied me, which I appreciated because I’m a harsh critic when it comes to sour cherry pie. The best part of this pie was when I encountered the occasional whole cherry in the filling. Aside from the delicious tart cherries, there wasn’t much apple flavor, save for the occasional chunk of nicely nutmeg-spiced apple. The oat topping was classic and a good change of pace from a typical crust-heavy pie, but the crust on this pie was nothing to write home about, and I wished it had the same crust as the pork and apple pie.
Pumpkin and Chocolate Swirl
Finally, I tried the pumpkin and chocolate swirl, another suggestion of the cashier. This one had the same crust as the sour cherry and apple pie, so nothing super special there. The filling however was rather ingenious. The pumpkin was smooth and had a great texture, but without the chocolate, it was not super flavorful, similar to most pumpkin pies. But, when I got a bite of the pumpkin with the dark, rich chocolate, this filling practically exploded with a deeper flavor. My only wish was that there was more of the delicious chocolate swirl and that the pumpkin component was more spiced with flavors like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Overall, I was incredibly pleased with the pies at Hoosier Mama and will definitely be returning in the future. For anyone looking for a quality slice of pie with a modern flavor twist, this is the place to check out.