Happy Pi Day, math lovers! For the uninitiated, Pi Day falls on March 14th each year (3/14) to celebrate the mathematical constant of Pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter, which equates to 3.1415 (rounded, of course!
) and is celebrated everywhere with a yummy, homemade pie.This Saturday marks the most accurate Pi Day yet. For the nerdy sticklers out there, make sure your have your forks poised to take the first bite of pie on 3/14/15 at 9:26:53 since π = 3.141592653….
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Since this year we’ll be celebrating the most accurate Pi Day yet, we’ll be baking up the most delicious pie ever. The recipe comes straight from Brooklyn’s beloved Four & Twenty Blackbirds where sisters Emily and Melissa Elsen have been baking up pies the way their grandmother did since 2010.
Ultra-luxe chocolate cream and fresh mint combine to make every bite of this pie taste like a mouthful of spring. “We love this season for its feeling of renewal and light and its signs of the coming warmth,” the pie-making wizards write in their book, The Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book ($19, amazon.com). “We aim to make our spring pies in that spirit.”
Read on for the perfect Pi Day pie recipe.
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Four & Twenty Blackbirds Chocolate Julep Pie
Makes: one 9-inch pie
Serves: 8 to 10
Ingredients:
Have ready one 9-inch pie crust shell, pre-baked
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
12 ounces bittersweet chocolate (55% cocoa), chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 large eggs
¼ teaspoon peppermint extract
2 to 3 tablespoons bourbon
Dash Old Fashion bitters
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Directions
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.
Place the pre-baked pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet.2. Combine the milk and cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring just to a boil. Place the chocolate pieces in a large bowl and pour the hot cream over the top. Let stand for 5 minutes, and then whisk steadily until all the chocolate is melted.
3. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and whisk. Slowly stream a small amount of the chocolate mixture into the eggs, whisking as you pour. Continue until the egg mixture feels warm to the touch, and then mix it back into the chocolate mixture. Add the peppermint extract, bourbon to taste, and bitters and whisk until smooth.
4. Strain the filling through a fine-mesh sieve directly into the pie shell, or strain it into a separate bowl and then pour it into the shell. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating 180 degrees when the edges start to set, 20 to 25 minutes through baking. The pie is finished when the edges are set about 2 inches in and puffed slightly and the center is no longer liquid but still quite wobbly. Be careful not to over-bake or the filling will be dry and sandy; the filling will continue to cook and set after the pie is removed from the oven. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
5. Garnish the top of this pie with a dusting of cocoa powder and some fresh mint leaves for a classic look if you like, and most definitely add a dollop of freshly whipped cream.
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