Preparing Pretty Pies for Pi Day! (And One Beautiful One!)
Well, it’s almost March 14th or 3.14, and I made some pies for Pi Day! Last year, my New England blogging friend, Janet, and I decided that we’d do a bi-coastal Pi Party to celebrate this year!
Long story, but I ended up being out of town this week, so I baked some test pies before I left so I could show you the prep!
I’ve got extra fillings chilling in the fridge so I can make the pies again fast for the actual celebration on Saturday!
(Terrible pictures notwithstanding, I think the pies came out so pretty. And honestly, I think the peanut butter one is just beautiful!) But onward!
The Magic Pies for Pi Day Crust Recipe
I’m not exactly sure what the true definition of a “Pie” is. If it has to do with the crust, then these are probably really more tarts – but what the heck! This fabulous crust has a fun origin story.
When my boys were little, they liked to “Bake” with me when I was making cookies or something. Sometimes they liked to bake all by themselves! And one time, they decided they’d make up their own pies! ( I have a couple wonderful pictures of them baking. If I can find them, I’ll put one in here!)
I was busy with other things, and I didn’t really do traditional pie crusts anyway, so I just sort of steered them into something that I thought would be crust-like and not take too much effort on my part. Thus, the Erik’s Famous Pie Crust was born!
It’s really more like a shortbread, but SO delicious, and works for just about any filling. Here’s the recipe:
- 3/4 Cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 Cup butter
- 1 1/2 Cups flour
That’s it!
(I made a double batch because I had so many little pans, and I wasn’t sure how much it was going to take. You could probably get by with a batch and a half for 6 pans this size. )
Mix all the ingredients together with your hands until it makes a ball, and press it into your pie pan. Prick the bottoms, bake at 350 ° F for about 12-15 minutes, and you’re golden!
How Much Dough for Each Pie
I took this picture just to show you how much dough you need for each pie for Pi Day. (Forgive the terrible quality of these pictures. Let me just say, it was late!) Anyway, just a ball about this size covers the bottom and up the sides.
If you want a little more on top – like to crimp the edges – there’s enough there to have the bottom be a little thinner and still be substantial.
My New Darling Pie Plates For My Pi Day Pies!
Oh my gosh, you guys! I LOVE these darling little ruffled ceramic pie plates*!
I knew I wanted to make several pie varieties, but I didn’t have any mini pie plates. So the night before I was going to bake my pies for Pi Day, (not to rush into planning ahead or anything… ) I looked on Amazon and saw these right off the bat! I got no further, ordered them right up, and they were on my porch waiting for me when I got home from work the next day! Ah, the miracle of next day delivery!
Why These Pie Plates Are So Fabulous
They are so cute, AND they balance their smallness with heft, so the regular 9″ pan baking directions worked out perfectly! Usually, a smaller pan would take less time than the regular recipe, and a heavy ceramic one would take longer than usual, but since these are small AND heavy, it worked out to the exact same timing!
And they’re inexpensive! They come out to about $5 each for a pack of 6. Bargain!
PLUS, they’re non-stick, which I didn’t find out about until I was trying to cut my first piece. The pie just slipped delicately out of the pan and onto the cutting board, where it not only was way easier to cut, but showed off the lovely crust beautifully!
They also go in the dishwasher and microwave. Nothing could be better!
Adding Fillings to Your Pies for Pi Day!
Once you have the baked crusts, you can put just about anything in them! In this batch, I did the classic Apple Pie that was the original Erik’s famous apple pie recipe. (I’m not sure why we called it “Erik’s.” If I recall, both boys were involved in it, but maybe his brother got bored before the end and went off to play Legos or something … !? Brett, if you’re reading this, let me know!)
Besides the classic apple, I did peach, chocolate mousse, pecan, peanut butter, and lemon pies for Pi Day!
I actually did do one different crust recipe – a chocolate one for the peanut butter pie, which I’ll tell you about next week. And I put the pecan pie into an unbaked crust. See, there are so many different ways to use this totally simple recipe!
And if you want a recipe for a different kind of pie/tart, check out this post: Pear Tart – An Easy and Elegant Dessert for Late Summer or Any Time
More Pi Day Fun Coming Next Week!
I’ll let you know more next week about the pies, and how our Pi Day Party came out, and so will Janet. She’s a really fun and talented interior designer who blogs not only about design, but about home entertaining too. She’s had pie parties before, one of which you can read about here: Autumn Pie Party
If you bake your own pies for Pi Day, let me know how they go! We can all report back on our Pi Day Parties next week!
Take care till then!
Barbara’s Boutique
Click on the pictures of the pieces I used in this post. If the exact item isn’t available any more, I chose a similar option.
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