Monday, March 22, 2010

Pi Day


In defense of pop tarts... OK they have agribusiness image problem, but really it's just pie in an "grab-and-munch" format. And on March 14 they were reborn as "Pi Tarts." I used a standard short crust recipe (2 C general purpose flour, 1 C shortening (even split between butter & vegetable shortening), 1 Tbsp confectioner's sugar, 1/3 C + 1Tbsp of ice water.) At the recommendation of my local apple pie goddess, I cut 2/3 of the shortening in very thoroughly (cous cous size) then 1/3 as pea-size lumps. Mush together to create a ball, but don't knead extensively. Rest in fridge for 1 hr, then roll on floured wax paper. Trim edges to produce the toaster size form, then wet 1/2 inch along the edges carefully with milk. Spread jam or cinnamon/sugar in the center, then fold and pinch the edges. Using home made pastry and nice jam will make you swear off the commercial variety, but one risk with the home-made approach is not sealing the edges well enough. We used apricot, raspberry, and cinnamon, but I must defer to Sophia for the results of the comparative taste test.

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