Pi Day has evolved into a March celebration, happening every year on 3.14, the numerical value of pi. It also makes a good excuse to add some sweet and savory pies to the menu. Pizza, hand pies, tarts and more can all qualify, as these five recipes demonstrate.
Its location in Louisiana inspired Huya Craft Coffee to create a savory pie packed with Cajun flavors. Boudin sausage and pepper jelly give it a local spin, but if boudin is not available, pork breakfast sausage or chorizo can be substituted. Pepper Jack cheese adds extra kick, making these individual tarts as suitable for brunch or lunch as they are for breakfast.
Rhubarb Buttermilk Tarts with Brown Butter Ice Cream
It’s debatable whether rhubarb is a fruit or vegetable, but the fresh stalks are a true sign of spring. Chef Rodney Cerdan poaches the rhubarb in vanilla syrup and turns it into a jam for these individual pies. Homemade brown butter ice cream adds the finishing touch.
Spiced Whoopie Pies with Honey Marshmallow Filling
Whoopie pies are a true Americana dessert, although their origin is unclear—New England and Pennsylvania both claim it as theirs. Chef Kathy Casey gives this recipe a different twist by using carrot cake for the carriers enclosing a honey marshmallow cream filling.
Photo courtesy of California Table Grape Commission
Wood Roasted Chicken and Grape Pizza
Although pizza has its own national day of celebration in February, there’s no reason not to honor it again on Pi Day. At Zanata, a Mediterranean restaurant with a wood-burning oven, the kitchen prepares its own dough and fires it up with a topping of caramelized onions, diced chicken, mozzarella and grapes.
Recipe report: Salads that go from winter to spring
Photo courtesy of Idaho Potato Commission
Individual Shepherd Pies
While sharing a large pie is rewarding, single-serve entree pies are better suited for the times. They are portable and can be packaged individually for customers to grab and go. At Ted’s Bulletin in Washington, D.C., chef Todd Miller creates a new take on shepherd’s pie, filling a flaky crust with a hearty ground meat mixture, then piping the traditional mashed potatoes on the baked pies.
University of Florida’s solution for feeding students in the midst of construction of a new dining hall has turned out so well, it will almost be a shame to see it go.
The endlessly colorful cuisine of Mexico is always in season, but Cinco de Mayo is a great time to bring some new recipes to the party, starting with El Rio Picante, an alternative marg, and finishing with DIY churro sundaes.
Last summer, a group of college and healthcare chefs came together at the University of Michigan for FoodService Director’s 2023 Culinary Immersion. Here are some of the recipes they developed.