PI-ception!

For the shortcrust pastry:

250g of plain flour
125g butter/margarine (or half lard, half butter)
A sprinkle of salt
3 tablespoons of cold water

For the filling:
A handful of redcurrants
A handful of blackcurrants
1 large pear
Teaspoon or so of demerara sugar (+ a bit for dusting)
A teaspoon of cinnamon
A handful of raisons

Ready made puff pastry
A small glass of milk


A tin foil casing
A stapler
A round 9" dish
Food processor
The two templates attached to this instructables

Step 1: Make the Pastry

First, turn on the oven to 180 degrees and sift the flour into a bowl, and add the butter/lard in small chunks. Tip this into a food processor along with a pinch of salt and 3 tablespoons of cold water, and turn it on until the ingredients come to a breadcrumb like consistency.

Then, squeeze the pastry into a solid ball with the heat of your hand, and roll it out into a table, that has been dusted with flour.

Roll the pastry with a rolling pin, until it is big enough to cover the dish with about and inch excess so it won't be too small to go all the way up the side, the rest will be used later

Put the pastry into the dish, pressing down the edge so the pastry is covering the whole dish and cut the excess from the outside off.

Cut the bottom out of an old round tin foil baking tray, this will be used to support the inside pie while cooking. if it is too big, cut it in one place and make a smaller circle ( leave roughly 2" between this and the edge of the pie) and staple it in place.

Then, roll the extra pastry into a strip, with the width being the same depth as the pie dish. This is then wraped around the outside of the tin foil support and with a little water stick it to the pie base.

Step 2: The Filling!

Now the pastry is finished, fill the inside with ceramic baking peas/beans or if you don't have any dried pasta or rice works well, place it in the middle of the oven for about 20-25 or until cooked, depending on the oven. when cool enough to handle, make a cut down the side of the support and pull it out.

When its cooked its for my favourite part, The filling!!

For the centre piece; throw in a handful of both redcurrants and blackcurrants ( you can use and fruit really but the contrast looks really cool) and sprinkle with demerara sugar, because the fruit can be quite sour, be generous!

Next slice up the large pear (you can peal it first if you don't like the skin) and lay it out in a soft of layered pattern, it doesn't have to be to neat because you wont see it, but the OCD strikes again.

Now scatter a few raisons around the pear part, and top with a teaspoon of cinnamon.( Don't worry if you're temped to eat any at this point!)

Step 3: The Pie Lid

Now for the pie lid!

Roll out the puff pastry into a sheet just large enough to cover the pie.( don't worry if you mess up, just fold it in half a few times and roll out again, but don't roll it into a ball!)

Right in the middle of the sheet place the PI template and cut it out with a sharp knife (the template is attached on this page), keep the piece you cut out as you can use it to decorate later!

You may need an extra set of hands for this part as the pastry if very easy to stretch and deform the PI in the middle, so with you extra help; lift up the sheet and place it on top of the pie.

Then, use a fork(or the side if a knife) to press the edge down on the puff pastry.

Next, brush the top, and the PI cut-out as well if you kept it, with a little milk mixed with sugar and sprinkle more sugar on top.

Now place it back in the oven for 30-40 minuets or until golden brown all over.

Step 4: Serving!

Take it out of the oven, and leave to cool for about 5 minuets, meanwhile cut out the PI numbers on the template and position them around the outside of the pie and sift icing sugar on top( you may need to use tweezers to pick them off). While its still hot cut it into 8-10 slices (depends on how greedy you feel), or just eat the entire thing yourself!