![\"Venn](\"https:\/\/aeoneal.com\/imagery\/blog\/venn-pieagram.jpg\")
Pumpkin + pecan + apple pie crumble = Venn pie-agram<\/p>\nLove data visualization? Love pies? So do I.<\/p>\n
Pumpkin + pecan + apple pie crumble = Venn pie-agram<\/p>\n
Last Tuesday we had a Thanksgiving potluck at work, and at the instigation of a coworker I made a Venn diagram pie. Here’s how I did it, if you want to try it yourself.<\/p>\n
You can use whatever flavors you want, but remember they have to combine into a pleasing flavor profile. The flavors of the three ingredients I used were pumpkin, pecan, and apple crumble.<\/p>\n
The recipes were fairly straightforward. Since the undertaking was complex I went simple with the recipes. For pumpkin and pecan filling I adapted About.com’s Southern Food Classic Pumpkin Pecan Pie<\/a> recipe. For the pumpkin filling I bumped up the ginger and added nutmeg. For the pecan filling I used dark corn syrup, replacing about 1\/3 of the dark syrup with maple syrup and a little molasses.<\/p>\n For the apple pie I used Cortland, Gala, and Honey Crisp apples. (I recommend The Apple Works<\/a> for good information on what apples work best in what contexts.) Once again the About.com Southern Food section provided a good Apple Crumble Pie<\/a> recipe.<\/p>\n I’d never used it before, but Pillsbury’s rolled up pie crust did pretty well!<\/p>\n So, to make this happen you need the following:<\/p>\n Here’s how the three pans overlapped. Note how corners are folded over. I used an ancient pizza pan for support instead of a cookie sheet (most cookie sheets don’t fit in our tiny oven).<\/p>\n A detail from the bottom. Cut your flattened sides into sections so they lie flat and don’t warp your pan.<\/p>\n Line your completed pan with aluminum foil to cover the sharp edges you’ve cut and prevent leaks.<\/p>\n Preheat your oven to 350\u00b0.<\/p>\n Unroll your pie crust and lay it out. Cut away excess and press edges together so you have a continuous bottom that isn’t too thick.<\/p>\n The image below, with raw dough and supporting aluminum, does not work. The crust melts and doesn’t hold its shape. Thin metal dividers also do not work: they leak abominably. I learned this making my first “pie chart” pie; metal dividers were much more trouble than the crust below (for one thing, I had to tilt the pie in the oven until the pecan filling set).<\/p>\n Partially bake your pie crust edges and bottom about 10 minutes at 350\u00b0. Also bake sections for the middle crust, separately (see below). Note that the middle crust has a slightly tighter curve, to make the overlapping areas slightly egg-shaped instead of pure circles. This will give you more space in the middle sections. Don’t forget to puncture the crust with a fork to avoid bubbles!<\/p>\n Important: reserve extra unbaked pie crust.<\/strong> You’ll need it to make the middle section work properly.<\/p>\n These are the crust pieces you’ll need to shape the middle of your Venn pie-agram. I used six crust lengths: one long curve, one not-so-long, three short ones, and one tiny one.<\/p>\n To make the crust stay in place and reduce leaks, use unbaked dough to hold the partly-baked middle sections in place. It doesn’t need to be perfect. Tip: Use a bread knife to gently saw the pie crust sections.<\/strong> Pie crust is crumbly. Try to make them line up naturally with the outside edge.<\/p>\n Tip: Start with the firmest filling first.<\/strong> It will fill up any weak spots a more liquid filling might break through, keeping your sections more compartmentalized. Here, the apple pie section has been filled and covered with crumble; apple has been layered in the bottom of its three overlapping sections in the middle. To the right, pumpkin filling (my next step). The pecan filling is in the center; pecans have yet to be added. I used crumbled pecans for a thicker mixture. Pecan filling went in last.<\/p>\n Here’s how I did the fillings, in order:<\/p>\n Ready to bake! Note the aluminum foil protecting the edges from over-baking. You can see some of the mini-pies I made using the excess filling.<\/p>\n The pie baked about an hour before a knife came out cleanly from the pumpkin filling. The mini pies, which I baked after the pie, took about 35 minutes without a cookie sheet. Oven heats vary, so check your pie at around 45 minutes, and your mini-pies at 25 minutes.<\/p>\n Have fun!<\/p>\n Originally posted on UXtraordinary.com.<\/em><\/p>\n\n
Making your Venn pie plate<\/h3>\n
![\"Three](\"https:\/\/aeoneal.com\/imagery\/blog\/venn-3plates.jpg\")
Making the superset framework for a Venn pie-agram.<\/p>\n![\"Pans,](\"https:\/\/aeoneal.com\/imagery\/blog\/venn-2pieplates-bottom.jpg\")
Detail, cut and overlapping sides.<\/p>\n![\"Aluminum](\"https:\/\/aeoneal.com\/imagery\/blog\/venn-aluminum-foil.jpg\")
Any experience with tin foil hats helps in this step.<\/p>\nMaking your crust<\/h3>\n
![\"Pie](\"https:\/\/aeoneal.com\/imagery\/blog\/venn-pie-crusts.jpg\")
Keep your excess pie dough!<\/p>\nWhat not to do<\/h4>\n
![\"Don't](\"https:\/\/aeoneal.com\/imagery\/blog\/venn-does-not-work.jpg\")
Little metal dividers not only leak, but the necessity of removing them before eating would ruin the pie.<\/p>\nWhat works<\/h4>\n
![\"Middle](\"https:\/\/aeoneal.com\/imagery\/blog\/venn-middle-crust.jpg\")
This piece will form part of the crust defining the overlapping sets in our Venn pie-agram.<\/p>\n![\"Venn](\"https:\/\/aeoneal.com\/imagery\/blog\/venn-pieagram-diagram.jpg\")
\nSuper-sophisticated Venn pie-agram wire frame.<\/p>\n![\"Middle](\"https:\/\/aeoneal.com\/imagery\/blog\/venn-middle-crust-installed.jpg\")
This is what your middle should look like. It’s not perfect circles, but trust me, you’ll prefer this when creating your overlapping fillings.<\/p>\nFilling and baking<\/h3>\n
![\"Pie](\"https:\/\/aeoneal.com\/imagery\/blog\/venn-workspace.jpg\")
Use baking time to clean your workspace! (How else will you have room for photos at the end?)<\/p>\n\n
![\"Ready](\"https:\/\/aeoneal.com\/imagery\/blog\/venn-ready-to-bake.jpg\")
On its way into the oven!<\/p>\nResults<\/h3>\n
![\"Venn](\"https:\/\/aeoneal.com\/imagery\/blog\/venn-results.jpg\")
A Venn pie-agram triumph! Or, the mother ship and her fleet. Whichever you prefer.<\/p>\n
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