Pie for Pi Day

We are big math fans at our house.  Especially when it comes to pi day!  You know, March 14th?  Pi Day.  As in 3.14 et cetera et cetera.

We like to celebrate with pie.  What can I say?  Pie is always a good idea.  I took the fast track and opted for an ice cream pie.  Unfortunately for you, motherhood called and I did not remember to take pictures until it was too late.  Mostly because I had to hurry!  My son called just as I was getting started and needed some things dropped off at the soccer field.  I discovered we had dinner guests coming in an hour and a half and  I hadn't even started preparing dinner.  YIKES!  My daughter needed to be picked up from a friend's house.  And the list goes on.

I love being a Mom! Even in those scrambling moments.  Mom moments are going to trump blog moments every time.  Sorry.  No photos.

I'm not too worried though.  This is easy enough to picture in your head.  Are you ready?  Imagine with me.

A chocolate crumb crust.  Buy a pre-made version at the store or make your own.  I used some chocolate graham crackers.  Crush them into fine crumbs.  Add 6 tablespoons of melted butter and 1/3 cup of sugar.  Mix it all together and press it into your pie pan.

Chocolate Sauce.  Once again, you can buy a jar of your favorite sauce or make your own.  Homemade chocolate ganache is so much better.  You will need twelve ounces of chocolate.  I used semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Dump them into a bowl.  Pour one cup of very hot whipping cream over the top and stir.  Keep stirring until it comes together.  It takes a while.  You want it glossy and smooth.  Let it cool.  Use what you want for your pies.  Save some for a garnish.  What you don't use will store well in the refrigerator.  I made two pies.  On the first one, I poured the chocolate sauce on top of the crust.  This resulted in a brownie-esque crust.  Delicious!  On the second one, I poured it on top of the ice cream.  It was like a river of fudge embedded in the ice cream.  Choices.  Choices.

Ice Cream.  You will need a quart of your favorite ice cream.  I chose mint chocolate chip for one of the pies, and caramel butter pecan for the other.  You need to set it aside for a while.  You want it to be soft enough to spread in the pie shell.  When it is good and soft, scoop spoonfuls into the crust and gently spread it around until it is even and relatively smooth.

Whipped Cream.  I used Cool Whip.  You could certainly use homemade whipping cream.  I went for the fast option.  Spread your cool whip on top of your last layer.  (It might be ice cream or it might be chocolate ganache.  Choices, remember?)

This is what my finished product looked like:

Mint Chocolate Chip Pie.

Caramel Butter Pecan Pie!

Now place your pie in the freezer and let it firm up.  Over night would be best.  But sometimes you are in a hurry.  A few hours should work fine.

When you are ready to serve, pull it out of the freezer and let it soften for about fifteen minutes.  This will make it much easier to cut.  Garnish it with whatever you like...chocolate curls, andes mints, thin mint cookies, or more chocolate or caramel sauce.  Whatever.

Be sure to sit around the table and discuss the day's math lesson.  It's important to praise pi!  And pie.