Pie #24: Operations Research Pie (Brown Sugar Buttermilk Pie)

In undergrad one of my favorite courses was Operations Research.  For me this course was an introduction to the use of optimization in complex decision-making processes.  I LOVED this course as solving the problems was always like solving a fun scheduling puzzle.

This morning while working on the week's pie I felt a bit like I was back in operations research mode.  I had certain projects I was trying to finish, I needed to run several errands, and I only had a certain amount of time to complete everything.  In the end, I won!  I solved the scheduling puzzle and was able to finish everything on my list in the allotted time.

This week's pie again came from Ashley English's book A Year of Pies: A Seasonal Tour of Home Baked Pies.  However, this recipe was submitted by a guest author named Tom Mazurek.  There are a few notes I would like to add to the recipe.  First, I added the cinnamon to the recipe below.  Second, the pie expands tremendously.  When I first poured the filling in the crust, I was afraid that the pie wasn't going to be thick enough.  However, while the pie was baking, it expanded to 2 inches higher than the crust.  (It sank back to normal size as it cooled.)




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Brown Sugar Buttermilk Pie
Tim Mazurek
www.lottieanddoof.com

Ingredients:

single 9-inch pie crust

3 large eggs
1/3 c. sugar
1/2 c. (packed) light brown sugar
2 T. flour
6 T. butter, melted and cooled
1 c. buttermilk
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
dusting of ground cinnamon

Pie Algorithm:
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.  In large bowl, whisk the 3 eggs with both sugars and the flour, making sure there are no lumps.  Add the melted butter, buttermilk, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt.  Whisk to combine.

2. Pour the filling into the prepared crust and dust with cinnamon.  Place in the preheated oven.  Turn the oven down to 325F and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the edges are set and the center is still a little wobbly.  Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for at least 30 minutes before serving warm or at room temperature.

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I debated on naming the pie 'Meh Pie' as I wasn't super impressed with the results.  It ended up with the consistency of a custard, but the filling wasn't very exciting.  Instead it was rather bland.  The edges got a bit darker than I had hoped, but I'm not really sure how to counteract this since it had risen so high.  Overall Perry has been pretty positive about the pies I've made for this project.  However, this time he commented that he wouldn't pick this pie if he had a choice. 

Pie #12: Belated Birthday Pie (Ground Cherry Pie)

One year ago I celebrated my birthday with a room of academics who study computer experiments.  We were participating in a conference at Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical  Sciences in Cambridge, UK.  The traditional conference dinner occurred on the evening of my birthday, and (unbeknownst to me) my advisor was informed that it was my special day.  Since he was one of the organizers of the conference, he stood up to make the typical conference organizer 'Thanks for your participation in this conference' speech and at the end asked if anyone having a birthday would make themselves known.  I was the only one - at least the only one who came forward.  Luckily I was quick on my feet and was able to divert my embarrassment with a laugh by thanking everyone for attending my party.

This story yields the perfect set-up for a probability problem:  Say there are 100 computer experimenters in a room; what is the probability that any two of them will share the same birthday?  The short answer (with a few distributional generalizations) is 0.9999997.  If you'd like to see the math at work, see Wikipedia or feel free to set up an office hour with me.  Note that the question above is a very different question than asking 'What is the probability that someone else at the banquet (one of the other 99 people) has the same birthday as myself?'  This answer is a less surprising 0.2378.

Now that our probability lesson is over, let's talk pie.  The conference banquet ended with a dessert decorated with two little small fruits.  Everyone around me made guesses as to what they were: mini tomatoes, tomatilloes, etc.  I knew instantly what they were - ground cherries!  No one sitting near me had heard of a ground cherry before yet there the little fruits lay.  They were still connected to their shell which was peeled back one panel at a time - much fancier than the ground cherries I'd previously encountered.

 

My first memories of ground cherries are connected to my great-grandma Lantz (aka Granny).  I loved to visit her on the farm.  We would drink water from her well using the tin cup that hung outside her shop, gather eggs from the chickens, pick golden raspberries out by the truck-patch, and play with her very shaggy and very matted dog Queenie.  It is Granny's recipe that I used to make my belated birthday pie. 

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Ground Cherry Pie

Ingredients:
1 pie crust (9-inch)

ground cherries
1 c. sugar
3-4 eggs
1 T. flour
1 c. milk

Pie Algorithm:
1. Stir sugar, eggs, and flour.  Add milk.

2. Put ground cherries in unbaked pie shell (1 layer deep) and pour mixture over top.

3. Bake at 400F for 10 minutes then reduce to 350F for 40 more minutes.

*Note: My family often makes this as a raspberry pie instead.  Other berries would probably be just as delightful!

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I want to extend a special thanks to my parents who allowed me to use their ground cherries - which have been growing like the weed that they are.  Also, thanks to Wanda for the lovely pie pictures from Pie #11 and Pie #12!