3.14159265359

We are going to party like it's 3.14.15.

Happy Pi Day!

Spiced Rum Pecan Pie with Rum Whipped Cream

(adapted from Bon Appetit)

1 disk pie crust dough (for single-crust pie, unbaked)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

2 tablespoons Spiced Rum

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

pinch of salt

2 cups pecans

Rum Whipped Cream

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon Spiced Rum

Preheat oven to 350F.
Roll out pie crust dough into a 12 to 13 inch round.
Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.
Trim, fold over, and crimp the edge; set aside.
Melt butter in a heavy skillet (my cast iron works well for this) and cook until golden brown and fragrant.
Whisk in the corn syrup and the sugar.
Cook stirring until sugar is dissolved and mixture is smooth.
Remove from heat and transfer a bowl to cool to room temperature (about 15-20 minutes).
Beat eggs, rum, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl to combine.
Gradually add the sugar mixture and stir to combine.
Fold in the nuts.
Pour into prepared pie crust.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden. Cool completely before serving.

Rum Whipped Cream
Beat whipping cream, brown sugar, and remaining rum until peaks form. Chill until serving with pies.

Pie for Pi Day

I couldn't let 3.14 roll by without a Pi Day post.

Pie for Pi Day is a must, and the options are infinite.
(sorry for the bad pun)

However, Hubs' choice is almost always peanut butter.

 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie with Pretzel Crust

(adapted from Nadia G's Bitchin' Kitchen)

Crust:

2 cups salted pretzels

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup brown sugar

Filling:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

Chocolate Whipped Cream:

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

2 cups whipping cream

chocolate shavings, for garnish

Pulse the pretzels in a food processor until finely ground. 

In a large bowl, combine the pretzel crumbs, butter and brown sugar; mix well.

Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. 

Refrigerate.

Combine the cream cheese, peanut butter and brown sugar with a mixer until smooth. 
Fold in the whipped cream. 
Spread filling into the pie shell, cover and return to the refrigerator.
Melt chocolate and whipping cream together in a double boiler over medium heat. 
Whisk until well combined. 
Refrigerate for 2 hours. 
Once cooled, beat the chocolate cream with a mixer until thick and spreadable (do not overmix).
Cover the pie with the chocolate whipped cream. 

Garnish with chocolate shavings.(8 servings)

3.14

3.14

March 14th.

The approximation of pi.

Pi Day.

Pie for Pi Day.

Hooray!

Hubs loves pie, and last month for his birthday, I whipped up a Black Bottom Peanut Butter Pie. It was luscious, and delicious, and everything a birthday dessert should be...minus the cake and frosting.

I couldn't find my pie plate (Did I take a pie to your house and leave it there?), so I attempted to make it in a spring form pan. My advice to you is that if you use a spring form pan, double the crust. I needed the sides of the crust to be taller to hold in the rich and fudgy chocolate layer on the bottom. It wanted to spill out as I topped it with the light, fluffy, and creamy whipped peanut butter mousse.

There were no complaints about the oozing chocolate, though. Why would there be? Doesn't everyone like to lick a little stray sweetness from their fingers? Birthday or Pi Day, Black Bottom Peanut Butter Pie is perfect On My Plate.

Black Bottom Peanut Butter Pie

(from Serious Eats)

8 graham crackers, crushed into crumbs

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

10 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups whole milk

3 tablespoons corn syrup

pinch of salt

1 cup smooth peanut butter (I used Jif...not sure that a natural type would produce the smooth consistency desired.)

1/2 - 3/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 
Combine the graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a bowl and stir to combine. 
Press the mixture evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate.
Bake for 15 minutes, until the crust gets slightly browned. 
Allow the crust to cool completely.
Place chopped chocolate, pinch of salt, and corn syrup in a bowl. 
Bring the milk to a boil, immediately remove from the heat, and pour over the chocolate. 
Allow this to sit for 1 minute, then whisk until all of the chocolate has melted.
Pour the mixture into a saucepan and whisk constantly over low heat for about 8 minutes. 
The mixture will steam, thicken, and begin to sputter and bubble. 
Continue to whisk and scrape the bottom to prevent burning. 
When the mixture is of pudding consistency, remove from the heat. 
Pour into a bowl, press plastic wrap directly on the surface, and chill for 3 hours.
Just before assembly, whisk peanut butter and confectioner's sugar together until the mixture is thick and glossy. 
Whisk about 1/3 of the chilled whipped cream into the mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining 2/3, taking care not to deflate it. 
Spread the chilled chocolate layer evenly over the bottom of the pie shell, then pour the mousse evenly over that. 
If desired, top with additional whipped cream, chocolate syrup, nuts, or chocolate chips.

Pi Day

I don't have a new pie post for Pi Day, but I thought I would share my favorite Pi/Pie Poem with you. It is, in my opinion, a work of genius. The number of characters in each line corresponds to the proper digit in the mathematical constant Pi. Add to the fact that it is also about pie, and I am sold. Top my slice with a scoop of ice cream, please.

The Pi Poem

by Loreen Pelletier

Pie.

I

like

a

peach

blueberry

or

banana

cream

and

lemon

meringue

raspberry

rhubarb

mincemeat

pie

in

sky

apple a la

mode

cherry

or

humble

shoo

fly

pie

mulberry

mud

or

pumpkin

chocolate

pecan

oh

ruin your

appetite

Happy Pi/Pie Day!

(and in case you are interested: my Pie Recipes)

Happy Pi Day!

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286208998628034825342117067982148086513282306647093844609550582231725359408128481117450284102701938521105559644622948954930381964428810975665933446128475648233786783165271201909145648566923460348610454326648213393607260249141273724587006606315588174881520920962829254091715364367892590360011330530548820466521384146951941511609... It goes on into infinity. The digits never stop, and never repeat. Most simple uses do shorten pi to 3.14, though.

To refresh the memory of those who haven't been helping their kids with their math homework, pi is the Greek letter that represents the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Regardless of the size of the circle, pi remains the same. It is a constant. In his book, The Joy of Pi, David Blatner claims that no number has captured the attention and imagination of number fanatics and nerds throughout the ages as much as pi. Math geeks love their pi.

In mathematical circles, March 14 (3-14) is often set aside as a day of celebration for the digits of pi. Schools hold trivia contests, pie eating contests, math workouts, poetry contests, and other events in honor of pi. 3-14 is Pi Day and a day to promote a little fun within the seriousness of the math world. It is the day that everyone recognizes the honest truth that pi makes things go round. :~)

In honor of pi, I am posting a constant in our home. My hubby loves his cream pies. In years that the Chocolate Eclair Cake doesn't make the cut for birthdays, you can usually find a cream pie on the birthday table. Banana Cream Pie is a favorite. The original recipe suggests a meringue topping, but I really only like meringue with lemon pie. In my opinion, whipped cream is much more suited to Banana Cream Pie. I hope that you can enjoy a slice of pie on Pi Day.

Banana Cream Pie

1 2/3 cups water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 can Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (9-inch) pie shell, baked
3 medium bananas, sliced
whipped cream or whipped topping

Mix water and cornstarch until smooth.
Stir in Eagle Brand milk and egg yolks.
Cook until thick in saucepan or microwave.
Stir in 2 tablespoons butter.
Add vanilla.
Cool slightly (stirring occasionally).
Pour 1/2 of filling on pie crust.
Place sliced bananas on filling.
Pour remainder of filling on the sliced bananas.
Top with whipped cream after chilling pie (may also garnish with banana slices dipped in lemon juice to prevent browning). (Serves 8)