Pi Day 2019

I am finally getting around to posting a little bit about my annual Pi Day party (March 14, 2019). Pi Day is my favorite secular holiday- and it might even beat out a few religious holidays. It is also Vincent's and my anniversary. And yes, we did have wedding pie instead of wedding cake. Be prepared to see more Pi Day party posts in future years.

I made a lot of food. In previous years, I have served only pie, but I did set this party around suppertime. Therefore, I served some savory food as well... Including some savory pies. Since I keep kosher, and cannot serve dairy and meat products simultaneously, this was a fully meatless shindig (albeit with some fish). I served appetizers of mushroom and tomato basil bruschetta, inarizushi, sushi, three types of deviled eggs, and Greek salad. I also made a pasta primavera as a non-pie main dish and a side of asparagus. And then there were the pies (not all of which are seen above). Unfortunately, I was super busy and did not actually write down the recipes I developed, and now that it is two months later, I don't fully remember what I did. So I guess I'll just have to work to recreate these pies and post about them separately in the future.

Savoury Pies

Brussels sprouts tarte tatin: I found the recipe for this tart in Cooking Light Magazine. The Brussels sprouts are coated in oil, garlic, white balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper and put face-down in a round pie or cake tin. Pie crust is draped over and around the Brussels sprouts for baking, and the tart is flipped upside down to serve. This was a huge hit with our guests. Even with the insane quantity of food I made, there were no leftovers of the Brussels sprouts tarte tatin.

Spinach, artichoke, and feta quiche: I make this fairly regularly for Vincent and myself, albeit usually in frittata form. Spinach and artichoke is a pretty classic combination, and the feta provides the saltiness that eggs need.

Pear, honey, and goat cheese tart: This tart was a little bit of a cheat- it uses puff pastry instead of pie dough. While I have been known to make puff pastry from scratch (see my cream horns post), this will work equally well with store-bought puff pastry. The flavors of the mildly sweet pear, the creamy goat cheese, and the sweet honey marry beautifully for a sweet and savory tart.

Vegetarian shepherd's pie: Some of my guests did not believe that this was actually vegetarian. I admittedly just threw this together without a recipe. I made the mashed potato topping a couple of days before the party, and then sauteed some Quorn meatless crumbles together with some celery, carrots, onions, tomatoes, and spices. I stuck the filling in the pie dish, slathered the mashed potatoes on top, and baked for 15-20 minutes. Voila! People loved it, and couldn't even tell it wasn't the real thing.

Sweet Pies (and Pseudo-Pies)

Whoopie pies: A staple in the northeast (especially  Maine), these are actually more like cakey filled cookies. The cookies (made perfectly round by baking them in a muffin tin) are made of a chocolate cake batter, and the filling is a combination of vegetable shortening, butter, vanilla, and marshmallow fluff. They are portable, delicious, and easy to eat.

Raspberry sorbet pie: The raspberry sorbet pie is one of my easy cheat pies. It is made by putting raspberry sorbet in a chocolate cookie crust. I usually garnish it with fresh raspberries, shaved chocolate, and whipped cream. It's easy. It's tasty.

Lychee, raspberry, and white chocolate tart: This tart, which I made to fulfill Series 3, Episode 3's showstopper Designer Fruit Tart challenge, got no small amount of inspiration from James's winning tart (although I did develop my own recipe and make it my own). It could use some work still- notice the slightly runny custard- and I will be working on this more in the future. I layered the tart crust with raspberry jam (homemade, of course), a lychee custard, and white chocolate ganache. I finished it with raspberry macaron shells.

Boston cream pie: The Boston cream pie is actually a cake. This is made by layering vanilla custard between two vanilla cakes, and covering the top with chocolate ganache. Most people only know of this in doughnut form, but I personally prefer the cake.

Peach pie: Double-crusted fruit pies are almost universally liked. I do make the traditional apple pie fairly regularly (I made a couple for some people who were unable to attend the party), but I personally like to mix it up a little with the peach pie. Peaches have, in my opinion, a more complex flavor than apples- a flavor which blends well with both brown sugar and whisky, both of which I use liberally. The peach pie has a warm, but complex flavor profile.

Bakewell tart: The Bakewell tart (which I thought was baked quite well) was the Technical Bake for Series 7, Episode 5 of The Great British Bake Off. The tart, which mythistorically originates from an inn in the town of Bakewell, Derbyshire, England, is composed of a pastry crust, a layer of raspberry jam, a healthy layer of frangipane (made mainly of ground almonds), and icing. It is absolutely delicious when made well, and still pretty good when made not particularly well. Unfortunately, it looks a bit unusual to the average American, so I ended up being the only person to have a slice. But I thoroughly enjoyed it. Plus, I got the feathering done well! I just need to work on the rise of the frangipane.

Mississippi mud pie: The Mississippi mud pie is my absolute specialty. It is chocolatey and gooey, and probably one of the best things you will ever taste. When Vincent and I got married, and had our pie tasting appointment, the bakery gave us samples of two different chocolate pies they made. I ended up just giving them this Mississippi mud pie recipe to make instead. I still have guests tell me it was the best pie at the wedding. I will post a recipe some day. Make it. Eat it. Enjoy it.

Orange French silk pie: I made this pie for Series 6, Episode 9's Chocolate Tart signature challenge. I was introduced to the combination of chocolate and orange while I lived in England (it is popular there, and found in common confectioneries such as Jaffa Cakes). I decided to try it out for this bake, and I am glad a did. The acidity of the orange helps cut through the sweetness of the chocolate without losing the luxurious richness of the filling. My decoration could have been neater, but next time! This orange French silk pie went over very well, and we had no leftovers.

Lemon tart: One of my personal favorites- and thus something I make almost every Pi Day- is a good, simple lemon tart. While the lemon filling has a similar flavor to lemon curd (tart, but still mildly sweet), the consistency is rather smoother and more custard-like. Again, this pie went well, and had good reviews. It is a great tart for people who don't care for overly sweet desserts.

Thank you for making it through me listing tons of pies! I will work on gradually posting the recipes for all of the pies and tarts which I made for my Pi Day party. I hope all of you, dear readers, had a good Pi Day. Stay tuned for next year's Pi Day party coverage.