Monday, March 14, 2011

pi pie

π




hey, so you know the number pi (3.14, π)?  well today, 3/14, is pi day! so i made a pi day pie.
nerd alert!
did you know that the area of a circle (or pie!) is found by multiplying the square of the radius by pi?
let's use pi to find the surface area of my pie!


Aπ · r²  or  Aπ · r· r
i used a 9-in pie plate, so the radius is 4.5 in.
A= 3.14 · 4.5 · 4.5
so the [surface] area of my pie is 63.59 in²!
not sure how that translates to calories, but there is your math lesson for the day.


let's begin making the pi pie, shall we?


no offense, pi pie, but i was too lazy to go to the supermarket; so i used what I had on hand at home.


start by adding 1 sleeve graham crackers to your mom's 1970s food processor
pulse until crumbs are formed, then add sugar and melted butter

pulse until homogeneous
add mixture to a pie plate, and use a smaller pie plate to press it in
once your crust is perfectly molded, bake at 375 for 7-8 min, and let cool
while crust is cooling, add some jello pudding mix to a bowl.
i used banana cream
add some cold milk
whisk for 2 minutes.  the mixture will thicken as you stir
dump some strawberries into your cooled crust
pour your pudding mixture over them
smooth the top with a spatula, and chill at least 1 hour before serving



strawberry banana cream pie.

ingredients
  graham cracker crust
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (approx. 1 sleeve unbroken graham crackers)
3/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter

  pie filling
1 3.4-oz pkg. instant pudding mix (i used banana cream)
1 3/4 cup cold milk
3/4 cup cut up fruit of your choice (this step is optional, and feel free to use more or less fruit)


method
  graham cracker crust
pulse graham crackers in food processor until crumbs are formed.  you need 1 1/2 cups of crumbs.  discard any extra or save in airtight container for later use.
add sugar and butter, pulse until homogeneous
press firmly into 8 or 9 in. pie plate
bake at 375 for 7-8 min, let cool completely before filling.

  pie filling
combine pudding mix and milk, stir with whisk for 2 min
add fruit to cooled pie crust, immediately cover with pudding mixture
chill for at least 1 hour before serving.  store in refrigerator.


happy π day!
{click here to learn more about this magical number}

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