Mmmm.

Math & Science Memes - It’s what’s for Dessert.

I had seen the attached Tumblr thread, and after rattling this wonderful Pie-Dea around in my head and various group chats for a few weeks, decided we needed to make our very own Venn Pie-agram for our next family dinner.

(idea? Pie-dea? Get it??? This won’t be the worst pie pun you read today…but only if you keep reading!!)

To make our “Berry Good” Venn Pie-agram we used homemade Strawberry and Blueberry compotes, combining them into a mixed-berry compote for the center of our diagram . Venn Pie-agram

You can use any complimentary filling flavors of your choice!

The pie-sibillities are endless!

Ingredients for CRUST:

If you want to use your own crusts, that might be easier - but it is not what we did!

We used:

1 package (2 pack) of great value 9” traditional frozen pie crusts

1 package (2-pack) of great value 9” refrigerated pie crusts

1 package puff pastry (if desired) for the vertical, horizontal, and lattice top crusts*

*If desired, may substitute one of the refrigerated pie crusts for the puff pastry, but we loved the puff!

We found it was cheaper and easier to purchase the frozen crusts in their individual aluminum pans and supplement loose areas with refrigerated crusts than modifying a cake pan and encrusting that from scratch.

Ingredients for FRUIT COMPOTE FILLINGS:

You may substitute this entire section with store-bought fillings if you wish, but the struggle was the point for us.

We’re giving these ingredients in approximate ratios at each step. Measure with your heart.

Sugar

Cornstarch

~ 2 Apples (We will boil these for the natural pectins, the fruit isn’t used in the pie itself)

Chosen Fruits

We used ~1-2lbs each of Strawberries & Blueberries,

however using 2+ lbs of fruits for a single Venn Pie-agram this gives a LOT of leftover compote which is amazing for pancakes, crepes, oatmeal, toast, yogurt, and just plain eating by itself.

If you are using store-bought / ready-to-bake fillings, you may skip ahead to step 3!

Homemade Apple Pectin:

This will be used with the cornstarch, sugar, and fruit juices in step 2 to thicken our fruit fillings.

Step 1.1 - Wash, Peel, Core, & Chop 2 Apples (We used Cosmic Crisp!).

Keep the apple peels and core for step 1.5

Step 1.2 - Put Apple Slices in Saucepan & Add 3-4 cups of Water (enough to cover & float the apples)

Step 1.3 - Put on Medium-High Heat & Simmer until all apple slices are well cooked & fork mushable. (About 15-20 minutes)

Step 1.4 - Remove Apple Slices from hot water

Feel free to snack on these bits, or add them to your compote! We’re not using the cooked apples in ours.

Step 1.5 - Add the core and peels to the hot apple water and softly boil on medium-high for an additional 15-20 minutes before straining into a bowl to let cool.

When the liquid pectin is ready the water should have taken on some of the color of the peel, and slightly thickened as it reduces down to about half the original amount of fluid and thickened to a thin syrup when cooled.

No, we’re not making a potato pie filling…this time.

but that sounds pretty good! Hmm…Venn Pie-Agram 2, Savory Boogaloo?

Fruit Compote Fillings:

Per pound of [Insert Chosen Fruit Here] -

Step 2.1.

Wash & Sort Fruit, Remove Stems / Leaves / Untasty bits, and Chop fruits into desired sizes for filling.

Step 2.2

Combine 1/4 cup of Cornstarch + 1/2 cup of Sugar in separate bowls. Blend until no lumps are present.

Step 2.3

Toss Chosen Fruits in cornstarch/sugar blend and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes for natural maceration.

Step 2.4

Add half of natural apple pectin solution (or roughly 1 cup per pound of fruit) to fruit/sugar/cornstarch blends and mix well ensuring no lumps.

Solution may clump at bottom of pan - as long as it has no clumps and can be easily stirred to not burn, all is well.

Step 2.5

Heat in saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fruit is softened and natural juices have thickened.

When mixture starts to bubble, drip some onto a plate to quick-cool and test filling thickness.

May take between 15 minutes to a full hour depending on the fruit chosen and how it was prepared prior to heat applications - Our whole blueberries took longer than the sliced strawberries, etc.

Step 2.6

Allow mixture to cool to test thickness.

If juices are still runny when slightly warm, put back on stove and bring to a light simmer until visible thickening is seen before cooling and testing again.

We want a nice and thick compote, not a runny fruit juice.

In the Pie-ous words of the great Mary Berry -

“No one likes a soggy bottom”

Preheat your oven according to the frozen pie crusts instructions for pre-baked empty shells.

While that is preheating, do the maths.

Step 3.1: Search for a protractor, and if you cannot find one, 3D print one instead.

Step 3.2: Decide How Much Overlap Your Venn Pie-agram will need.

CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING FACTORS:

1. Audiences of Individual Pie Flavors & Combined Center
2. Mathematical & CAD Skills of Piemaker
3. Commitment to the Bit

Step 3.3: Measure Traditional Pie Shells to Model in Autodesk TinkerCAD

Ours had approximate measures of:

top diameter of 9”

bottom diameter of 6.5”

vertically it was 1.25” tall.

We assumed 1/2” layer for the crust.

Step 3.4: Use TinkerCAD to decide on the best angle of overlap to ensure distribution of flavors according to audience.

We landed on an approximate overlap of 120° measured from the vertical diameter and overlapping at the center point in digital models & physical material.

Real-life applications do not assume a spherical cow have a perfect distribution, so remember that it is okay if your Venn Piagram does not end up looking like your tinkerCAD models.

Step 3.5: Compare digital view to available materials and material quality.

Frozen pie crusts may have bubbles, cracks, etc. that are imperative to avoid in projects like this, so you may need to use a different angle for your own Venn Pieagram for a variety of reasons besides simple flavor ratios.

Step 4.1. Using your protractor, mark the approximate middle point of the crust and score (not cut!) a full line down the vertical diameter of each frozen crust.

Step 4.2. From the middle point along the vertical diameter, mark the angle at approximately 120° (or whatever angle you decided on the last step!) on each crust.

Step 4.3. Score line from the middle to the 120° marking and curve the angle to match the corresponding outer curve of the opposite pie crusts.

Step 4.4. ON ONLY ONE CRUST - Cut the curved portion of the crust out of the dish as carefully as you can (some breakage is inevitable) and transfer to a clean plate.

Step 4.5. Using scissors, cut along the edge of the aluminum pie plate matching where the corresponding crust was removed.

Step 4.6. Match up the sides of the whole pie crust/dish with the cut pie crust/dish to ensure a proper fit.

Unfortunately I got caught up in the fun and did not take as many pictures of this stage as I had wished.

For ease of cleanup (and in case of piesplosion) cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Add 2-3 loose sheets the length and width of your baking sheet - these will be used to reinforce the cut and whole pie pans and their crusts.

Place your cut and whole pie crusts on the loose foil, and wrap around the edges securing the pie dishes first from the base to the top edge, before wrapping around the edges as one would traditionally do for a par baked crust as shown in the image.

Any loose, broken, or missing sections may be reinforced with additional refrigerated pie crust secured with a bit of water or pie paste*

*(pie crust rubbed with water to make a form of glue - another heart-measured ingredient)

I didn’t use the cut metal piece to reinforce the extra middle edge in the first par bake but I should have!

It was added on the next step along with additional crust reinforcement - learn from my mistakes!!!

Cover with another layer of tin foil before placing in oven preheated to 375 for approximately 20 minutes or until barely steamed / cooked through - crust will be very VERY delicate!!!

If you have pie weights, use them.

Bubbles aren’t fun with this, but repairs and patching are expected with any new invention, so be gentle with yourself.

We had concerns of filling spillage after the par baking due to bubbles and lack of adherence, and chose to rectify those issues by patching any and all potential leaks with one of the refrigerated pie crusts available and securing with tin foil pressed in rather than loosely on top

If you have a set of pie weights, then now is the time to use them.

Preheat oven to a further 425° and bake for 5 minutes covered with a layer of tinfoil and 5 minutes without for a settled and compote-worthy crust.

I apologize for the lack of pictures at this stage. We were more invested in the development than the documentation of this part.

Starting off, put each individual filling from earlier steps in opposite sides.

Make sure to watch for leaks and patch with additional refrigerated crust and/or tin foil for support.

For the middle filling, mix each type in a bowl 50/50 (or whatever ratio you’d like, really!) and stir for a blended fruit filling.

Add to center.

In the original meme, it appears to be a combination of strips and crumble, but I feel that can be rather confusing (and I have already made plenty of work for myself without adding a crumble!)

We used a pizza cutter to slice store bought puff pastry into thin rough strips approximately 1/4” to 1/2” wide, and laid them across each portion containing relevant fruits.

I love a good browned crust, and for an egg-free browning wash we used a basic sugar wash of 50/50 sugar to water, lightly brushed over the puff pastry before putting the whole thing back in the 425 oven for 10 minutes

If the puff pastry is not yet cooked, set oven to BROILER (~525° from top burner) and allow to cook, checking every 2-4 minutes, until puff is puffed & browned to preferences.

So to summarize:

Vertically striped portions contain strawberries.

Horizontally striped portions contain blueberries.

Criss-crossed areas contain both!!!

Allow to cool, preferably while enjoying the savory dinner selection of your choice.

Pairs excellently with roughly 120° of Pizza Pi.

Our Venn Piagram served approximately 6 adults and 3 children, with seconds for some and extra compote for others.

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