D.C. Pi(e) Day 2013!

Ah yes, Pi(e) Day. Though I've been celebrating for 5 consecutive years now, I still have those moments, in the midst of publicizing and wheeling a cart full of Whole Foods-donated butter down the street (no wait, that was awesome), coordinating and baking for three days straight, where I wonder why I'm doing it. But then the ol' 3.14 rolls around, and the homemade pies and bakers start to show up, the guests arrive, and we all gorge on pie, work it off in a pi(e) walk/dance, raise a bunch of money for a good cause, and it's all really inspiring and fun and totally worth it. That being said, the next day I did make a beeline to the woods of Virginia for an unplugged cabin weekend getaway with some gal pals. But I'm back and ready to write about it and even starting to think about making pie again...

This year's Pi(e) Day was a benefit for Common Good City Farm, a DC-based urban farm and sustainable agriculture non-profit that employees teens during the summer and coordinates other local food-based programming. Because we encourage local and seasonal produce in the pies we make for Pi(e) Day, I thought it would be nice to bring this connection full circle (with a circumference of 2piR). Elizabeth and Anita, employees at the farm, were wonderful to work with and contributed pies, loaned tables, and were a big help with press and recruiting volunteers.

As was the case last year too, we got some really wonderful press leading up to the event. It was posted on various pages of the Washington Post and the Express, was blurbed on The Huffington Post, Daily Candy, ScoutMob, BYT, and lots of local blogs. American Food Roots even did this sweet little piece in which I make a pie nerd cameo. After all of this came out and we had well over 100 attending on Facebook, I once again started to worry if we'd have enough pie.

But we did--at least for a good part of the evening. I actually lost count of how many, but I'm pretty sure it was well over 30, with some arriving slowly but surely for much-needed reinforcements when other plates had been cleaned. There was Chile Relleño Pie and Blueberry Ginger Pie, Bourbon Bacon Pecan Pie and Aztec Chocolate Chess Pie, Peanut Butter Honeycomb Pie and Vegan Spaghetti Pie and many more. I made 2 Hoosier Sugar Cream Pies, 2 Butterscotch Meringue Pies, Pimento Cheese-Tomato Pie, Pear & Cardamom Fig Pie, a Chocolate Mousse and Hazelnut Tart, a Peanut Butter Chess Pie, and Chocolate Ganache & Almond Tartlets. I'll post the recipes for just about all of them soon. Though I can't vouch for everything, all the pies I tried were delicious.



In addition to all those pies, the evening was set off by the ladies of The Runcible Spoon, who hawked their fancifully collaged food zines and led an AMAZING "What Time Is It? Pi(e) Time!" watch-making craft! I kept mine on for 2 days so it would always be 3:14. Other highlights were when Star, the managing director at The Dunes handed me a beer as soon as I'd finished setting up (she read my mind even before I knew what I was thinking!), the dance-worthy jams by DJ Dianamatic, Carrie Nation, and Bottle Rocket, and the end-of-the-night Pi(e) Walk led by the surprise emcee Grant Dickie! I tried to get people to soul-train for the jar of whipped cream, but to no avail. I don't know why, though, because that jar was beautiful.

All in all, it was a very fun celebration of community, local food, and homemade pie, all in the lofted and light-filled space of The Dunes (the bar helped too). We had about 140 people in attendance and raised almost $900 for Common Good City Farm! We were also part of a network of friends across the country hosting Pi(e) Day events, including Berenbaums in Durham, NC, Dale's Fried Pies in Knoxville, TN, more friends in Harrisonburg, VA, and my aunt Chantelle in South Bend, IN. They were all celebrating pie, math, and community for good causes, even if it was just getting together with a few friends. Though the Obamas didn't come (I invited them), I'd still call it quite a success.

I'd like to extend a very special thanks to our Pi(e) Day 2013 Baking Team of Amy, Anita, Bradley, Carolyn, Catherine, Claire, Elizabeth, Emily, Felicity (pictured above, top photo), Jared, Jenelle, Katy, Kara, Kari, Kiran, Liz, Miranda (pictured above, bottom photo), Samantha, Tamara, Teeny, and Yael. Special thanks also to DJs Dianamatic, Carrie Nation, and Bottlerocket, The Dunes, Whole Foods on P St. for donating ingredients, The Runcible Spoon, and Common Good City Farm for being such great partners. And thanks to everyone who came and ate, busted a move in the Pi(e) Walk, and supported local agriculture in our nation's capital. Only 359 days left 'til Pi(e) Day 2014!

But if you haven't had enough this year, make sure to check out the blogs of Pi(e) Day 2013 Baking Team members Catherine, Kari, and Teeny for more DC Pi(e) Day posts and recipes!

Pi(e) Day 2014!

In the field of folklore, one way in which we define the traditional arts is as a community-based expression. We're interested in those cultural materials and happenings that arise out of a group of people and are upheld by a community. That could be anything from fiddle and banjo tunes to the labor lore of food service workers to the specific style of a group of graffiti artists. 

I think of pie too as a community-based expression, and like most (but not all) traditional art forms, they are best shared face-to-face, among people gathering together in community. You can lean almost everything there is to know about baking from a book or the internet, but the times when you're sharing it, talking about it, experiencing it with others is when the real learning happens. When you can taste the difference between a lard and butter crust, see how someone else cuts their lemons for their Shaker Lemon Pie, or hear their expression when they tell the story of how they invented a new recipe when they forgot to add a main ingredient--that's where it's at.

This is why I like celebrating Pi(e) Day. For me it's an event where this type of sharing can happen informally, even if it's just in the form of some friends sitting down eating together. And of course an excuse to party with pie ain't so bad either.

This year was the 3rd straight year of a DC Pi(e) Day and the 6th annual for me (find posts from past Pi(e) Days here). On Friday, my friend Mackenzie Smith (who made the sweet Buffalo Chicken Fried Pies video!) came down from Brooklyn and hung out in the kitchen, taking these beautiful photos and some video (more on the video soon) while I baked (she also made an amazing caramel for the Apple Pie). In the early evening my friends Roy and Aviva of The Keezletown Strutters showed up with their instruments and a Shaker Lemon Pie in hand, and serenaded Mack and I while we put the finishing touches on the desserts and set up for the party.

Friends arrived continuously throughout the evening, bringing pies and drinks and more instruments. I lost count of the pie count, but the table was overflowing with Tamale Pie and Onion Pie and Quiche, Blueberry and Coconut and Chess. I made eight pies and some tartlets--Pimento Cheese Tomato Pie (a Pi(e) Day favorite), Coconut Custard Pie + Tartlets, a Lazy Lemon Tart, Tarheel Pie, S'more Pie, Grapefruit Pie (a version of this Atlantic Beach Pie), Buttermilk Chamomile Pie, and an Apple Pie with Salted Caramel Glaze in birthday boy Lars' Prillaman's name.

The Keezletown Strutters played their heartening & spirited breed of Missouri and Arkansas fiddle tunes, songs, and blues in wonderful two-part harmony (which inspired some waltzing), and we wrapped up the evening with a few living room square dances.

Thanks so much to all the bakers and guests for baking and sharing and dancing, and big thanks to Mackenzie Smith for her beautiful documentation of the evening, and The Keezletown Strutters for their wonderful music. Pi(e) Day 2015 (3.1415...!) may be a year away, but more pie parties are just around the corner.

Photos by Mackenzie Smith

Pi(e) Days Past

This is the first time in 5 years that I'm not putting on a big Pi(e) Day party, and though I've always had fun, I have to say it's a relief to not have to do all that planning, hosting, and baking! I'll likely still make a pie though, and in lieu of a major 2015 event here's a look at some Pi(e) Days past, with favorite recipes from each.

Pi(e) Day 2014 - The Dollhouse, Washington, D.C.

Apple Pie with Salted Caramel Glaze
Tarheel Pie (pictured)

Pi(e) Day 2013 - The Dunes, Washington, D.C.

Bourbon Bacon Pecan Pie (pictured)
Hoosier Sugar Cream Pie

Pi(e) Day 2012 - St. Stephen's Church, Washington, D.C.

Banana Cream Pie with Pecan Crust and Salty Bourbon Caramel
Gorgonzola, Pear, and Balsamic Honey Galette

Pi(e) Day 2011 - Johnny's, Carrboro, NC

Date-Butter Pie
Avocado Pie (pictured)

Pi(e) Day 2010 - Celebrity Dairy, Siler City, NC

Lemon Goat Cheese Tart with Blackberry Preserves (pictured)
Pimento Cheese & Tomato Pie

You can see more Pi(e) Day documentation and ephemera here, and as always, find many more recipes via the Recipe Index. Have a happy Pi(e) Day-- and a very special one at that!

D.C. Pi(e) Day 2012!

 

Berry pie and Niva & Patrick's pumpeapple!

This was my fourth year in a row celebrating Pi(e) Day. The past two years we've had celebrations on the Pie-dmont of North Carolina-- last year it was at Johnny's in Carrboro and the year before it was a loverly spring celebration at Celebrity Dairy in Siler City, complete with adorable baby goats.

I knew I wanted to have an event again this year, as a benefit for a D.C. organization, so I pitched it to the diverse and vibrant community-powered radio station, Radio CPR (where, full disclosure, I host a bi-weekly traditional/experimental show), and all the DJs and volunteers were down to bake, DJ, promote, and most importantly, eat.

Amy with her "crack" pie

Front: my pecan sorghum pie & Athena's chocolate-chestnut torte, Back: pecan pie & berry pie

We got a TON of press about the event. It was posted on various pages of the Washington Post, the Washington City Paper, DCist, fashion site Refinery29, superb lifestyle blog Panda Head, and ReadySetDC even came over and did a little pre-Pi(e) Day interview with me while I baked. There was, in fact, so much press I started to get worried about having enough pie.

Selina's avocado pie and my pear frangipane tart

 

Niva and Patrick--proud parents of the pumpeapple!

In the end we had over 25 pies, both sweet and savory, ranging from a grapefruit-ginger meringue to bacon-onion, "crack" pie to vegan tamale, and classic key lime to pineapple-madadamia-coconut. The pie spread even boasted a pumpeapple--a spin-off on the cherpumple, which is a pumpkin pie baked inside of a yellow cake, peach pie baked inside of a white cake, and an apple pie inside of a spice cake, all stacked and frosted together as one giant dessert. Woah! I made a banana cream pie with a peanut crust and salty bourbon caramel (recipe, and it's a damn fine one, coming soon), a pear frangipane tart, two gorgonzola-pear and balsamic honey galettes, and a last-minute pecan sorghum pie.

Pie eaters!

As it turned out, my suspicions were somewhat correct-- in about an hour or so, we had welcomed over 125 people and, despite attempts at a one-slice-at-a-time rule, pretty much every pie plate had been essentially licked clean. More like a Pi(e) Power Hour than a Pi(e) Day. Most everyone I saw was smiling though, if not full of pie, then at least tempted by a bite or two.

After the pie had all but disappeared, we struck up some fiddle tunes for the Pi(e) Walk (walked in circumference 2pi(r), with the prize of a homemade "crack" pie to take home. When the winner was announced, though, she generously announced to the other participants and remaining attendees that she would slice it up and share with everyone.

Malaka selling copies of The Runcible Spoon, a rad D.C. food zine

Fellow Tart Kari with her ginger-grapefruit meringue tart

By the end of the evening, we had raised almost 700 (yes, 700!!) much needed dollars for Radio CPR! It was a lovely community gathering with friendly faces familiar and new on a beauuutiful spring day. We were also part of a network of Pi(e) Day celebrations across the country, in Greensboro, Alabama; Durham, Chapel Hill & Burnsville, North Carolina; and Austin, Texas, who all were celebrating pie, community, and nerdy mathematics for good causes, even if it was just getting together with friends and making some new ones.

You can see more pictures from the event via our rad photographer Jen Mizgata here, and also from TBD, who photographed the event here. They have some great ones of our Pi(e) Walk, a cross section of the pumpeapple, and a hilarious snapshot of folks entering the PEZ.

Me cutting my pecan sorghum pie

Jenn with her bacon onion tart

I'd like to extend a very special thanks to our Pi(e) Day 2012 Baking Team of Kari, Layne, Athena, Peter, Brenda, Selina, Jenn, Yael, Luna, Bent, Bradley, Amy, Betsy, Niva & Patrick. Special thanks also to photographer Jen, DJs Layne, Peter, Selina & Bent, musician Brent, other volunteers Bobbie, Don, Darby, St. Stephen's church for generously providing us with a space, and Amanda for being an amazing co-organizer. And thanks to everyone who came and ate (or tried to) and supported community radio in our nation's capital. Only 351 days until Pi(e) Day 2013!

Pi(e) Day on the Piedmont

Here at Nothing-In-The-House, we've been celebrating pi(e) day, 3.14, for a few years now, and though I haven't been to any of the amazing TX pi(e) day parties, Pi(e) Day has never been as beautiful, full-force, or fun as this year's celebration.

My friend Lora lives and works at Celebrity Dairy Goat Farm in Siler City, NC. Awhile back we got to talkin' about a pie party, and she generously suggested (and offered to host!) that we have our Pi(e) Day celebration out at the Dairy where we could enjoy the industrial kitchen, comforts of the inn, adorable baby goats, and spring peeper chorus, out in the Chatham County country.

Most of the baking team gathered at the inn the evening before, where we made a large batch of pie dough and some of the icebox pies, then ate tacos, crackers and goat cheese, drank wine, played Exquisite Corpse and sang songs late into the night.


The next morning, the kitchen was abuzz with the 13 member baking team as we rolled dough, chopped fruit, whipped cream, and fluted crusts.

forks await folks

Altogether we made 26 pies, and not a bad one in the bunch. In fact, they were all delicious (at least the ones I tried, which was close to most). Lora made fresh goat's milk ice cream to top them off. Here are a few pie portraits, but for a list of all of them with their respective bakers, plus additional words and photos, see Lora's blog post here.

Brooke's delicious lemon goat cheese tart w. Lora's blackberry preserves, recipe here

Lora's Kentucky Pie

I tried my hand at this tart, from Michel Roux's Pastry

Shoofly! Don't Bother Me Pie by Lora

April's (of Farmer's Daughter) Sweet Potato Muscadine Pie

My Avocado Coconut Pie (vegan) recipe here

Pimento Cheese Tomato Pie by Emily Wallace, the day's favorite and first to go!

About 40 friends came out to the farm to help us enjoy the pies and the beautiful spring day. We gave away 2 pies in our pi(e) walk (walked in circle of circumference 2pi(e)r), done with live old-time music accompaniment.

Bill goes back for round 4

Do The Pie Walk

Molly, age 11, the youngest baker, made this video, documenting the day.

After the crowds departed and all the pie dishes were washed, the remaining few settled in for a relaxing porch sit, and viewing of hobo-movie Sullivan's Travels, which, though it had no hobo window sill-pie-snatching chase scene, did have two mentions of pie.

We did indeed have pie for breakfast the next day. 3.15, the (p)ides of March.

Thank you SO much to our team of bakers: Emily W, Chris, Lora, Shannon (who all also took photos), Ashley, Whitney, Brooke, Mary, Zans, Molly, Joe, and April with VERY BIG THANKS to Lora and Joe who really made the event possible.