Is there a better way to celebrate Pi Day than with a totally nerdy pie encrusted with Euler's Identity, e^(i*pi)+1=0? Absolutely! Celebrate with a totally nerdy pie encrusted with Euler's Identity in binary, or 011001010101111000101000011010010010101001110000011010010010100100101011001100010011110100110000. The inspiration for this pie came from Wilton Windmill crop circle in 2010 (see this animation for explanation), though I made some slight alterations from the crop circle.
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Signing UpStep 1: The Crust
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup COLD butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup ICE COLD water
Cut the butter into about 1/2" cubes and return to refrigerator or freezer until needed. I usually refrigerate my dry ingredients as well for about 15 minutes before starting. A flaky crust begins with cold ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to food processor and pulse until combined. Scatter about half your butter on the top and pulse only for a few seconds. Scatter the rest along the top and pulse until mixture resembles a course crumbs. Slowly add the water while pulsing just until the dough can pinch together. Too much moisture will make it the crust easier to manage, but you sacrifice flakiness in the end.
Divide dough in two piles on separate pieces of saran wrap. Use the wrap to form the dough into discs. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Prepare your work surface with flour, and roll the first disc out. Transfer to 9" pie pan and trim edges to about 1/4" longer than you want them. Tuck that extra 1/4" inch under. If you developed any cracks or holes, just use the excess dough to patch them. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Meanwhile, roll out your other disc. Cut out a 9 1/2" circle. I used a pie crust guard (used in baking to keep from burning the edges) as a guide. Keeping about an inch margin from the edge, use a knife or clean razor to make twelve cuts going towards, but not all the way to, the middle. A protractor is handy for this. Now for the 1s and 0s. Here are the ASCII conversions to binary:
e 01100101
^ 01011110
( 00101000
i 01101001
* 00101010
p 01110000
i 01101001
) 00101001
+ 00101011
1 00110001
= 00111101
0 00110000
Designate a line to be your e and make small cuts to your left for 0 and to the right for 1, working outward in. The next line to your right is the ^, so proceed similarly until you make it all the way around. This goes into the refrigerator for at least an hour.
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup COLD butter
1/4 - 1/2 cup ICE COLD water
Cut the butter into about 1/2" cubes and return to refrigerator or freezer until needed. I usually refrigerate my dry ingredients as well for about 15 minutes before starting. A flaky crust begins with cold ingredients.
Add dry ingredients to food processor and pulse until combined. Scatter about half your butter on the top and pulse only for a few seconds. Scatter the rest along the top and pulse until mixture resembles a course crumbs. Slowly add the water while pulsing just until the dough can pinch together. Too much moisture will make it the crust easier to manage, but you sacrifice flakiness in the end.
Divide dough in two piles on separate pieces of saran wrap. Use the wrap to form the dough into discs. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Prepare your work surface with flour, and roll the first disc out. Transfer to 9" pie pan and trim edges to about 1/4" longer than you want them. Tuck that extra 1/4" inch under. If you developed any cracks or holes, just use the excess dough to patch them. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
Meanwhile, roll out your other disc. Cut out a 9 1/2" circle. I used a pie crust guard (used in baking to keep from burning the edges) as a guide. Keeping about an inch margin from the edge, use a knife or clean razor to make twelve cuts going towards, but not all the way to, the middle. A protractor is handy for this. Now for the 1s and 0s. Here are the ASCII conversions to binary:
e 01100101
^ 01011110
( 00101000
i 01101001
* 00101010
p 01110000
i 01101001
) 00101001
+ 00101011
1 00110001
= 00111101
0 00110000
Designate a line to be your e and make small cuts to your left for 0 and to the right for 1, working outward in. The next line to your right is the ^, so proceed similarly until you make it all the way around. This goes into the refrigerator for at least an hour.
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5
Quips, Travails and Braised Oxtails
says:
Mar 21, 2012. 6:44 AMReplyVery cool! My first pie day pie was modeled on the Barbury Castle pi crop circle, much less complex than this one!
14
kathrynl (author)
says:
Mar 20, 2012. 2:16 PMReplyI forgot to add my MS Paint diagram that I quickly made to help me get all of the cuts right. Here it is, if anyone is interested:
237
jessyratfink
says:
Mar 20, 2012. 11:23 AMReplyThis is beautiful! I adore the top - so pretty.
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