It’s March, and that means Pi(e) Day is coming! What is Pi(e) Day, you ask? March 14 (3/14) is the magical day when we celebrate pi, the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, 3.14159265359… And since pi comes equipped with a delicious homophone, we celebrate by baking and eating pies.

Who is we? Well, I’ll be celebrating with my colleagues here in the library, and I hope that lots of others find folks near and dear to celebrate with as well. To help us all get ready, I’ll be posting a pie recipe from the Kirschner collection every day until Pi(e) day. Are you baking pies too? Send me your recipes and photos, and I’ll print a roundup when it’s all over.

To start us off, I’ve got a classic Betty Crocker recipe for Mile High Lemon Pie. If this one isn’t your bag, keep checking back. I’ve got a diverse lineup of pies coming up — high- and lowbrow, sweet and savory.

Lemon Pie

Ingredients

9-inch Baked Pie Shell
8 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1 envelope (1 tablespoon) unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup sugar

Instructions

Bake pie shell. In saucepan blend egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, the gelatin, water, lemon peel, juice and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, just until mixture boils. Place pan in bowl of ice and water or chill in refrigerator, stirring occasionally, until mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon.
Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until frothy. Beat in 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time; continue beating until still and glossy. Do not underbeat. Fold in lemon mixture; pile into pie shell. Chill several hours until set.

By Betty Crocker’s Pie and Pastry Cookbook (1972)