√-1 2^3 ∑ Π and It Was Delicious! (I Ate Some Pie and It Was Delicious!)

This is our entry for the Pi Day pie contest.  We hope you like our nerdy math joke, and it really was delicious! We decided to make a french silk pie in a classic piecrust with whipped cream and chocolate decorations. Click through the following steps to get the recipe we used, and too see instructions for making our pie. Hope you enjoy!  Meagan & Joe

Step 1: "Recipie" and Ingredients Overview

Our piecrust recipe is from Alice Waters' cookbook the Art of Simple Food pg. 174

Makes two 10 oz balls of dough, enough for two 11 inch tarts or one double-crust 9 inch pie

Have measured: 1/2 cup ice-cold water

Mix together: 2 cups all- purpose flour unbleached flour, and 1/2 tsp salt (omit if using salted butter)

Add: 12 tbsp salt (11/2 sticks) cold butter, cut into small 1/4 inch cubes

Cut or work the butter into the flour with a pastry blender or your fingertips, leaving some butter in fairly large, irregular pieces. This will take 1 or 2 minutes.  Pour in three quarters of the water, stirring all the while with a fork until the dough begins to form clumps. Keep adding water if needed. Divide the dough in two, bring each part together into a ball, and wrap each ball in plastic wrap. Compress each ball, and then flatten them into disks. Let rest, refrigerated, for 1 hour or longer.

How to blind bake your piecrust

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Once you have rolled your dough out to fit your pie pan, and placed it into the pan, cover the pie with a double layer of tinfoil gently pressing it into the pan. Fill the pan with your choice of pie weights, dried rice or beans. Bake the piecrust for 25-30. Remove the pie foil and pie weights and continue to bake another 9-12 minutes longer until light golden brown. Remove from oven to cool.

Our recipe for french silk pie is from theKitchn

French Silk Pie
Serves 10-12

1 (9-inch) pie crust, cooked and cooled
4 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large organic or free-range eggs, pasteurized if desired
Additional whipped cream, for topping

Heat the chocolate in a microwave on medium power (about 45-90 seconds) or over the stovetop on medium-low until melted. Whisk in the vanilla and espresso powder, if using, and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 2-3 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for one minute. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the cooled chocolate to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until incorporated. Add 2 eggs and beat on medium speed for three minutes. Add the remaining egg and beat for another three minutes until the mixture is silky and smooth.

Fold the chilled whipped cream into the chocolate filling until no visible white streaks remain. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and smooth with an offset spatula. Refrigerate for a minimum of two hours, but preferably overnight. Decorate the pie with freshly whipped cream or dollop a spoonful onto each slice.

Pie Decorations

1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/3 cup chocolate chips
Design print out, optional
Wax or parchment paper 
2 disposable pasty bags
Decorators tip of your choice, optional


Place design print out on solid surface; place parchment/ wax paper over top, if you are clumsy like me secure with paperclips. Melt chocolate chips for 45- 90 seconds in microwave. Spoon melted chocolate into pasty bag. Cut tip off of pasty bag. Carefully pipe chocolate out onto design template. Once finished place wax paper into the freezer to set chocolate.

Whip heavy cream and confectioners sugar together on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until still peaks form. Spoon whipped cream into pastry bag and pipe onto the edged of the pie in design of your choice.

Remove set chocolate from the freezer. Carefully remove from paper and arrange on pie.

Now that the pie is beautiful it's time to dig in!

Step 2: The Crust

We had a crust already made in the freezer leftover from last month, so I pulled it out and let it defrost in the refrigerator.

Once your dough is made following the Alice Waters recipe, and it's done chilling in the fridge go ahead and pull it out. Lightly flour your work surface (King Arthur Flour is always preferred) place your dough on the work surface and with a floured rolling pin begin rolling your dough into a circle slightly larger than pie pan, or in my case the tart pan that I decided to use. I started out with more dough than I needed so my round ends up being much bigger than I'll need to cover my tart pan. Oh well I'll just trim it off later. Roll your dough around the rolling pin to lift it up and drape it over your pie pan. Once the dough is laid into the pie pan trim the excess with kitchen scissors. You can use the extra to make some yummy pinwheels.

Place a double layer of tinfoil over your piecrust and fill with pie weights. I've lost my pie weights somewhere during a recent move, so I'm using a combination of dried beans and rice to weight my pie with. Place the weighted piecrust into a 375 degree oven on the lower middle rack and bake for 25- 30 minutes. Remove the tinfoil and pie weights and continue to bake the piecrust an additional 9-12 minutes uncovered until the crust is a golden brown and appears dry and crispy. Remove from oven, cooling fully before filling.

Step 3: The Filling

French Silk Pie
recipe from theKitchn
Serves 10-12

1 (9-inch) pie crust, cooked and cooled
4 ounces good-quality bittersweet chocolate
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon espresso powder (optional)
1 cup cold heavy cream
1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large organic or free-range eggs, pasteurized if desired
Additional whipped cream, for topping

Heat the chocolate in a microwave on medium power (about 45-90 seconds) or over the stovetop on medium-low until melted. Whisk in the vanilla and espresso powder, if using, and set aside to cool.

In a medium bowl beat the heavy cream with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 2-3 minutes. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for one minute. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the cooled chocolate to the butter-sugar mixture and beat until incorporated. Add 2 eggs and beat on medium speed for three minutes. Add the remaining egg and beat for another three minutes until the mixture is silky and smooth.

Fold the chilled whipped cream into the chocolate filling until no visible white streaks remain. Pour the filling into the prepared pie crust and smooth with an offset spatula. Refrigerate for a minimum of two hours, but preferably overnight. Decorate the pie with freshly whipped cream or dollop a spoonful onto each slice.

Step 4: The Decoration

Pie Decoration

1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
1/3 cup chocolate chips
Design print out, optional
Wax or parchment paper
2 disposable pasty bags
Decorators tip of your choice, optional


Place design print out on solid surface; place parchment/ wax paper over top, and if you are clumsy like me secure with paperclips. Melt chocolate chips for 45- 90 seconds in microwave. Spoon melted chocolate into pasty bag. Cut tip off of pasty bag. Carefully pipe chocolate out onto design template. Once finished place paper into the freezer to set chocolate.

Whip heavy cream and confectioners sugar together on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until stiff peaks form. Spoon whipped cream into pastry bag and pipe onto the edged of the pie in design of your choice.

Remove set chocolate from the freezer. Carefully remove from paper and arrange on pie.

Now that the pie is beautiful it's time to dig in!