Crack π

March 14: Pi Day

Algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, differential equations, physics—this is a partial list of courses, some of which involved the solving of formulae with the mathematical constant π (pi), required for Highlander to take as an engineering major in college. He did crack open the books to study hard for his degrees.

Oats, cream, flour, butter, sugar—this is a partial list of ingredients, none of which include cocaine, required for Islander to bake Crack Pie. She did crack open several eggs in her attempt to make the (in)famous Momofuku Milk Bar dessert (which currently costs $44 for one pie, without shipping charges from New York City!!!).

“Pi” and “pie” are homonyms that add up as reasons to celebrate Pi Day by baking and eating pie. So we took a crack at making the costly confection at home and see what the fuss is all about, since Martha Stewart and Anderson Cooper raved about it on television. Although crack pie is labor-intensive, the savings are significant and the recipe yields two fresh pies instead of one. The dessert’s name is certainly intriguing, the crust texture is crackly and the filling is sweetly rich.

Is crack pie reputedly addictive and all that it is cracked up to be? Or is it overrated and whacked? Try it and tell us in the comment section of our blog. Happy Pi Day!

Recipe

(Slightly adapted from a report in the Los Angeles Times)

For the cookie base

• 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 cup rolled oats

Directions

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. Mix the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Gradually add the flour mixture until well combined.

Stir in the oats. Press into a 9×13-inch baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer the cookie base to a wire rack to cool.

For the crust

• Crumbs from the cookie base
• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, softened
• 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions

In a large bowl, break the cookie base into pieces to make fine crumbs for the crust (pulse in a food processor, if necessary). Blend the rest of the ingredients together until sticky.

Divide the contents between two pie pans (the original recipe calls for 10-inches in diameter but we used 9-inch disposable foil pie tins). Pie are SQUAREd (πr²) but they are ROUND in this case! Press along the sides and evenly on the bottom to form a thin crust. Refrigerate to set while making the filling.

For the filling

• 1 ½ cups granulated white sugar
• ¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup plus 1 teaspoon milk powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
• ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 egg yolks
• powdered sugar, for a garnish

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugars, salt and milk powder. Stir in the melted butter, cream and vanilla. In another bowl, gently whisk the egg yolks but do not add too much air.  Pour the egg yolks into the other mixture and stir until smooth.

Divide the filling evenly into both of the prepared pie crusts. Bake one pie separately at a time in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and bake for another 15 minutes (for 10-inch pies) or 20 minutes (for 9-inch pies).  The middle of the filling will be slightly runny but it will be golden brown. Remove each pie from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Refrigerate to set until well chilled.

Some like it hot or warmed up, but some prefer the traditional cold slice of pie. Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar to resemble crack.

For the pi decoration

Use the Symbol font with the lower case “p” and enlarge the size to make the pi template. Print it out, preferably on card stock paper. Carefully slice the pi piece using an X-Acto knife.

If the paper is too flimsy over a sunken pie filling, tape toothpicks on the back of the template for support. Position the template over the center of the pie. Sprinkle powdered sugar on top using a sieve. Carefully remove the template. Use a toothpick to smudge out the powdered sugar on any blank spaces in the pi symbol.

Notes

• The Chowhound website has a topic thread on troubleshooting tips for making Crack Pie.
• Cities around the world are celebrating Pi Day! For information about the mathematical symbol and Pi Day, go to PiDay.org.
• We used the same powdered sugar-template decorating technique on our St. Ignatius Almond Cake.