Today is “pi day”, and was established by American math geeks to honour the mathematical constant pi. As you may recall from those long distant geometry lessons, Pi is the ratio of the circumference of a circle as against its diameter. No matter the size of the circle, pi is always the same!
This year, March fourteenth (which was also Einstein’s birthday) not only shares pi’s first three numbers, but when the digital clock strikes 9:26:53am, we will have, if only for a brief second, a time representation of Pi’s first ten digits, making it a SUPER PI DAY!
To mark this once in a lifetime event, it was only right to bake a wonderful pecan pie! The recipe was modified from a Martha Stewart chocolate and bourbon variety, substituting half of the treacle for maple syrup, and adding a large glug of vanilla. Fabulous!
Pecan Pie Recipe
Basic Pie Dough
3 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (cold)
1/4 cup ice water
1 tbsp sugar
Filling
1/2 cup melted butter
3 tbsp plain flour
2 large eggs
1/4 cup treacle
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp bourbon
1 tsp vanilla bean syrup
100g dark chocolate chopped
1 cup chopped pecans (plus extra for decorating)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Make the pie dough in a food processor by pulsing flour, salt, sugar and cold butter until they are like breadcrumbs. Add the ice water and pulse again. Refrigerate dough in two parts for at least 1 hour.
2. Roll dough and cover a 9 inch pie plate. Blind bake (cover with parchment and weight down using beans or pasta) for around 15 minutes at 180 Celsius (fan) or 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove parchment and cook for further 5 minutes. You do not want the pastry to brown. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes.
3. Make the filling by stirring together all ingredients except the pecans and chocolate. Once combined, add the pecans and chocolate.
4. Pour into prepared pastry case and bake at 150 Celsius (fan) or 350 degrees Fahrenheit for around 40 minutes until set. Let cool on a wire rack.
HAPPY PI (3.141592653) DAY!
*Awesome tumbler available from The Fowndry*
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