Mmm... π.

Today marks Pi Day! A day devoted to honor the mathematical constant π. It also is the day of the Greater New Haven St. Patrick's Day Parade. In celebration of both I will discuss my favorite bars and pies.

10. Lemon Meringue - Meringue is made when egg whites are beaten some the protein's hydrogen bonds break causing the protein to unfold. Potassium bitartrate (cream of tartar) is added to add further stiffness and sugar is added for sweetness. Baking seals the deal. While 'lemon' is the most common meringue there is also the very popular non-pie ice cream dish 'Baked Alaska' (or Bombe Alaska). Often rum is splashed on top of the meringue and set on fire. The meringue acts as an insulator to the ice cream. That's hot!

9. Pecan - While some pies have only hints of flavor, the pecan pie's flavor is unavoidable. Whole pecans adorn the surface of this custard-style pie. A traditional southern U.S. pie it is rumored to be invented by the French after settling New Orleans. My favorite version adds bourbon to the recipe.

8. Key Lime - This is another southern US traditional pie with European origin. The Conch (Bahamians of European descent) developed this dish after settling the Florida Keys. The 'Key limes' gave the characteristic flavoring. Like the lemon it is traditionally prepared with a meringue topping. You'll often find green food coloring added to the pie filling to give a lime-green color.

7. Chicken Pot - I'm finding 'gourmet' versions of this pie on menus more and more these days. This savory pie is the epitome of comfort food and the inexpensive frozen version is a staple of the college student diet. The American style typically has gravy and mixed vegetables (often potatoes, carrots, green beans and peas).

6. Apple - It is easy to assume that apple pie is the most common pie in the U.S.. So much that the phrase "as American as apple pie" is associated with anything being "typically American". However the pie is anything but American in origin. The English and the Dutch were making pies far back into the 14th century, hundreds of years before the 13 colonies were settled. I can't turn down a slice when it is served warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

5. Pumpkin - Have you ever noticed that pumpkin pie rarely tastes like pumpkins? The very fragrant spices of nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and ginger often overpower the mild pumpkin. As pumpkins are native to North America, the pumpkin pie is more American in origin than any other pie. The pie is most popular around Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Wherefore there are many seasonal commercial foods that are flavored to resemble pumpkin pie. The Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks and the Post Road Pumpkin Ale by Brooklyn Brewery are two of my favorites.

4. Spanakopita - This is my favorite Greek diner food. A warmed savory pie, it uses buttery flaky phyllo dough to surround chopped spinach and feta (or ricotta) cheese. Phyllo is one of the most difficult doughs to prepare so it is most often store bought. It is either formed to a baking pan or folded over to a triangle similar to an apple turnover.


3. Blueberry & Cherry - You can make most fruit into a delicious sweet pie. Blueberry pie is often favored for pie eating contests probably because it stains a dark purple when you make a mess. Cherry pie continues to be popular thanks to the band Warrant.

2. Banana Cream & Chocolate Pudding - A 'cream' pie is any pie filled with a custard or pudding then topped with a whipped cream topping. A very quick and easy version can be made with a ready-made graham cracker crust, and instant or cook and serve pudding. Canned whipped cream or cool whip is an honorable addition to any pie.

1. Pizza - With the traditional forms of pizza the term 'pie' is used dialectal. However a Chicago style pizza or calzone could directly resemble savory pies and fit the standard definition. I reference it as a 'Pizza Pie' regardless of the style. Like ham & eggs, peas & carrots or coffee & cigarettes, pizza goes hand & hand with my drink of choice beer.

Honorable Mention: Shepherd's Pie - A 'cottage pie' is a savory mincemeat pie with a baked mashed potato crust. When the mince is Lamb it is commonly called Shepherd's pie. In Ireland Shepherd's Pie refers to any version regardless of the type of meat used. I will eat this pie to celebrate the Greater New Haven St. Patrick's Day Parade.

To learn more about pie day check out CNN's article on Pi Day!
To learn about more pies check out this quick list from Wikipedia.

Coming soon: hear about my favorite bars...

*Update* OK so I've been slacking on the "Favorite Bars" Posts. Hangovers suck.

GUINNESS BROWNIES

As you could guess from what my previous posts have indicated, St. Patrick's Day is around the corner. I'll be making about 7 lbs. of corned beef for this year's celebrations. Lisa shared this recipe with me. GUINNESS BROWNIES. SWEET!!!

Ingredients:
4 eggs
3/4 cup superfine sugar
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 1/4 cups Guinness stout
confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butter an 8-inch-square pan.
3. In an electric mixer, combine the eggs and sugar.
4. Beat until light and fluffy.
5. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the bittersweet chocolate, white chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth.
6. Remove from heat and beat into the egg mixture.
7. Sift the flour and cocoa together and beat into the chocolate mixture.
8. Whisk in the Guinness.
9. Pour into the pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
10. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
11. To serve, dust the cake with confectioners' sugar and cut into squares.

The Shamrock Shake

Last night after a break from the Olympics and sampling Pennsylvanian beers John and I switched gears to The Simpsons. The episode 'Stop, Or My Dog Will Shoot' featured the following exchange:

Chief Wiggum: “I miss Shamrock Shakes, but they ain’t coming back ’til March.”
Lou: “You know, Chief, Shamrock Shakes are just vanilla shakes colored green.”
Chief Wiggum: “Well, I taste the flavor. It’s a very mild mint.”
Lou: “Well, maybe ’cause it’s a minty color, your mind is fooling your tongue.”
Chief Wiggum: “I know what I taste.”
Eddie: “I gotta go with Chief on this one.”
Lou (sarcastically): “Whoa, there’s a big surprise.”

This resulted in a restless night for me. As usual, there were dreams of new and exciting McDonald's value menu items. There was the McMedallion (a large warm chocolate chip cookie), a series of Hostess snacks, a Sloppy Joe sandwich, and a vegetarian hummus snack wrap. To wash it all down I ordered a medium Shamrock Shake. The next morning the first thing I did was instant message John asking if he would join me on a quest: "The Quest for the Shamrock Shake". Here's how it would have gone down in Arthurian legend:

GOD: This is your quest Jason. The quest for the Shamrock Shake.
JASON: Seriously??? Man, you're setting the bar pretty low for me huh.
GOD: Oh, and could you pick up some MILK while you're out...
JASON: Anything else?
GOD: An ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY ... (there's a cool article on LOST).
JASON: I'm sure.
GOD: ... and DON'T FORGET TO GET YOUR OIL CHANGED!!...
JASON: ...son of a bitch.


To my surprise John had NEVER had a shamrock shake so it was quite the easy sell. The Shamrock Shake served by McDonald's first debuted in 1970 and paved the way for other seasonal marked franchise drinks such as the Starbucks' 'Gingerbread Latte'. Usually appearing mid-late February it is available in select restaurants. As Chief Wiggum describes, "It is a very mild mint" with a green hue. The calorie content can of course vary by size. There is the 440 calorie 12 oz cup up to a whopping 1160 calorie 32 oz. It'll use up all of your weight watcher points in one sip but, hey it only comes 'round once a year right? John quickly found a couple of old, stereotypical, and racist McDonald's commercials on YouTube. "Awww... Even the Asian kid want to kiss the Irish kid after drinking a Shamrock Shake!"



I arrived just before John at the McDonald's down the street from him. I eagerly asked the manager behind the counter if they had Shamrock Shakes. Sadly they didn't. However I wasn't the first to inquire that day about them. I wasn't alone in the universe. Maybe that previous person had watched the Simpson's last night as well. This was going to take some work. I had noticed earlier on shamrockshake.com "Find the Shake", that shakes were sighted all over CT including: North Haven, Milford, and Old Saybrook. They were out there, we just needed to find 'em.

McDonald's has made some great choices as a restaurant franchise. One of which is an iPhone adapted store locator web-page. A few quick gestures on my phone, and I had the phone numbers of all the nearest McDonald's within a 20 mile radius. It is no wonder why they've been top dog in fast food for so long. The first location I tried (my favorite restaurant) returned a number no longer in service message. Google Maps explained that the store had closed. We were going to have to check that out later. The second number, (the highway rest-stop) confirmed that they in-fact had Shamrock Shakes. I don't prefer going to the highway McDonald's. The menus are often reduced, priced much higher (on average 50 cents per item), and for some reason the food quality tends to lack. Perhaps it is because they are more focused on quantity. However, since it was in the direction John and I were eventually both going and we didn't feel like driving all over the state, we agreed that it would do.

We walked in through the doors and right up to the counter (it was after the lunch rush). To our relief there (next to the sundae, apple-pie, and chocolate chip cookies) was a promotional poster for the Shamrock Shake. Success.

McDonald's advertises all their shakes as being "Triple Thick" and "thick" is the first impression you get from the beverage (a term used loosely). It takes some work to drink it and it actually caused the straw to fold in the process. However, in my opinion, it does live up to some of the hype. It is a mild mint, that is less overpowering than a typical spearmint gum. The drink was very creamy, cold and real treat.

John educated me on what other critics have noticed. This is a "new" recipe and many loyalists are disappointed in a lack of quality in this years batch vs. history. There had been groans about McDonald's current milkshake machines, which use syrups mixed with their milkshake base, resulting in inconsistent-poor quality. He had seen pictures of poorly mixed shakes where almost a quarter of the shake at the bottom consisted of the "vanilla" base. I noticed that in some stores it is even being marketed with whipped cream and a cherry (possibly to cover-up the "swirl effect"). To check this John and I opened up our shake cups and found the very green syrup clinging to the walls. Of course we had to try the shake now in its most basic form (it was super sweet).

While those anticipating the ol' Shamrock Shake of yore may be disappointed, I still would venture to McDonald's this St. Patty's day if you're looking for something special. It is closer than a pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow and you don't have to deal with those pesky leprechauns.

Sláinte!



UPDATE: Want to try a new holiday treat? May I suggest adding some Bailey's to you Shamrock Shake? Delicious! Please be aware of public drinking laws if you plan to take you shake on the road.