Food Column: Pi Day 2024

Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together?

If you recognize that catchphrase, you’re old. If you can identify both the TV show and the actor who said it, then you are also someone who spent far too much time in the 1980s watching television.

For better or for worse, I happen to check both of those boxes. The catchphrase belonged to George Peppard in the NBC action comedy, “The A-Team.” The show – which is best known for Peppard’s co-star, Mr. T – told the story of a group of Vietnam vets wrongly accused of doing…something (I have no idea what), who went on the run, solving crimes and righting wrongs wherever they could. Peppard played their leader Hannibal Smith (I had to look up his character name) who often came up with the plan that brought the bad guys to justice. Often, his plans were hair-brained schemes that elicited laughs from the show’s target audience of teenage boys, of which I was one.

So, what does “The A-Team” have to do with a cooking column?

Let me explain. A week from Thursday is March 14. March 14, when reduced to digits is 3-14, which just so happen to be the first three numbers in the mathematical constant Pi. Hence, March 14 has become known as Pi or Pie Day.

But wait, that’s not all. March 14, also – and perhaps most importantly – happens to be my birthday. And I love pie.

Seriously. I love cake, too, but when push comes to shove, and I have to choose one dessert, I will choose pie every time.

But not just any pie. Given that Pie Day always falls at the end of winter, it’s hard to find fresh fruit that is at its prime. Thus, I try to focus on cream and custard pies. They also fit the weather perfectly. A good slice of chocolate cream is perfect with a cup of coffee on a cool day. At the same time, I’ve always seen a slice of sunny lemon meringue as a sign of spring.

And don’t let anyone tell you that baking a pie is hard. So many people shy away from making pie because they fear making a crust. If you are one of them, buy a pre-made crust. There’s no shame in it. Plus, you will be rewarded with pie.

So, celebrate Pi(e) Day this year with a slice of one of your favorites. Whether it be chocolate cream, lemon meringue, or Mississippi Mud, there are plenty to choose from.

Happy Pi(e) Day to all who celebrate. And who doesn’t celebrate a great slice of pie?

How to make a pie crust

When you make a cream or custard pie, you don’t have to use a pastry crust. In most cases, a graham-cracker crust will do just as well. In fact, I rarely make my own graham cracker crusts anymore. Instead, I buy them pre-made. They taste as good as the ones I make, and they are a heck of a lot easier.

That said, there is something about making your own pastry crust from scratch. While many of you might be intimidated by making a homemade crust, I’ve tried to make it as easy as possible by sharing the King Arthur Flour mixer crust.

As the name implies, it uses a stand mixer for all of the mixing. You still have to roll out the crust yourself, of course, but at least the mixing is easy.

One note: There is a bit of instinct that is required when making a pastry crust from scratch. You have to know when to stop mixing in the butter/shortening. You also have to know how much ice water is just enough. While I can provide you with instructions, you really just have to figure some of it out yourself.

Another note: If you do not have a stand mixer, you can mix this crust together by hand.

Ingredients

2 ½ cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

¼ cup shortening

10 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small cubes

8-12 tablespoons ice water

Mix together the flour and salt in the bowl of your stand mixer. Add the shortening, and mix until the shortening completely disappears into the flour. Next, add the pieces of butter. Mix until, as King Arthur says, the mixture is “unevenly crumbly.” Basically, you want most of the butter to be mixed into the flour but there should still be visible chunks of butter throughout your mixture.

Now, add the water, one tablespoon at a time. Mix just until combined. Continue adding water by the tablespoon until the mixture begins to stick together. This is where instinct comes in. You have to know when you’ve added enough water. I typically need at least 10 tablespoons, but sometimes it’s more. There are many variables here including heat and humidity, so that’s why it’s hard for me to tell you exactly how much water to add.

Once your dough sticks together when squeezed, pour it out onto a countertop. Press into a ball. Slice the ball in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

To Blind Bake Your Crust:

Roll out one-half of your dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 1/8-inch thick. The dough should be at least 2 inches wider in diameter than your pie plate.

Press into your pie plate. Trim all but about one inch from the edge of the crust. Don’t worry if it’s not even (mine never is). You can patch your crust with the scraps that you trimmed earlier. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork (this will help prevent the crust from puffing too much in the oven). Place your shaped pie crust into the refrigerator (or the freezer) for 30 minutes. This is important because it will help the crust keep its shape in the oven.

While the crust is chilling, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Remove your pie plate from the refrigerator. Press a piece of aluminum foil onto the crust. Pour in pie weights. If you don’t have pie weights, you can use dried beans or uncooked rice. This step is important because, it too, will help the crust keep its shape while it bakes.

Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and then remove the foil and pie weights. Return crust to the oven to bake for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool completely before filling.

The Perfect Lemon Meringue Pie

This recipe comes from a clipping I had from a 1984 issue of the Des Moines Register. It was one of the first recipes I ever clipped myself, and I’m glad I did. It produces a lemon filling that is more cloud-like than custardy. It’s light and beautiful, and it is one of my all-time favorite pies.

Ingredients

One pre-baked 9-inch pie shell (you can also use a graham cracker crust)

7 eggs, separated

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon zest (just the yellow parts)

Separate your eggs. Beat the egg yolks with a whisk in the top of a double-boiler, off the heat. Add 1 cup of the sugar, the lemon juice, and the zest. Beat again. Place this pan over another pan of simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is quite thick. Remove from the heat and press through a fine sieve (this will remove any pieces of egg white that might have gotten into your yolks). Cool completely.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Beat the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Incorporate about 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the cooled lemon mixture, mixing thoroughly. Pour into your baked pie crust.

Add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the remaining egg whites. Beat until whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks. Spread over the lemon filling. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the meringue is just beginning to brown.

Chocolate Cream Pie

Ingredients

One prebaked 9-inch pie shell (you can also substitute a graham cracker crust

For the Filling:

2 ½ cups milk

4 oz. bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate

½ cup sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

4 egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Topping:

1 cup heavy cream

¼ cup powdered sugar

To make the filling:

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and chocolate over medium heat, whisking occasionally until the chocolate is melted. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Add 1 cup of the milk mixture and whisk until smooth. Return mixture to the saucepan, and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thick (4-5 minutes total).

In medium bowl whisk the egg yolks. Slowly beat about ½-cup of the hot chocolate mixture into the eggs, making sure to stir constantly. Pour everything back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the filling is thick and begins to bubble (about 1-2 minutes). Remove from the heat and press the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to remove any stray pieces of egg white. Stir in the vanilla. Let cool for about 10 minutes.

Pour filling into the baked pie crust. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly over the surface of the pie. Refrigerate for 4 hours.

When you are ready to serve, prepare the topping. Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form. Spread over the chocolate filling in the pie.

Michael Knock is a food columnist for the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Food Column: Pi Day 2024