Life of Pi(e): a Novel-Inspired Dessert

In Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi, Pi Patel is an Indian teen who ends up stranded on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. Pi is highly spiritual and has a deep respect for life. Due to his Hindu upbringing, he practices vegetarianism (save for survival purposes on his journey). While vegetarianism and veganism are different things, I decided to see if I could create a tiger-faced vegan dessert recipe inspired by the novel. I chose to use mangoes for a number of reasons. First, Pi hails from India, which produces over a thousand different varieties of mango. Second, mangoes are naturally soft and sweet, which give the perfect flavor and texture for a pie filling. Lastly, they also possess the yellow-orange color needed to give this recipe its tiger-like appearance.

Filling:

• 6 cups chopped mangoes (about 5-6 medium mangoes)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• pinch salt

Pie crust:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold fat (such as vegan butter or vegetable shortening)*
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar (optional)
• A few tablespoons cold almond milk

*I used coconut oil, but I would really recommend vegan butter or vegetable shortening. More on this later.

Tools:

• Large mixing bowl
• 2 airtight containers with lids
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Large saucepan
• Pie pan
• Fork

This pie is double-crusted, meaning there’ll be a bottom crust and a top one over the filling. Starting with the dry ingredients, mix together 3 cups flour, 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt.

Add the butter/fat. Any fat you’re using should be as cold as possible to create that nice crumbly texture and avoid over-mixing. I tried coconut oil (but wouldn't necessarily recommend, since it was rather liquidy and made my crust more powdery than flaky). If you happen to be using this and live in a warmer climate, stick it in the freezer a few minutes prior to using to solidify it again.

Pour in 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (optional). This supposedly helps relax the gluten, though I personally didn't see much of a difference. Then pour in cold milk (I used almond) a spoonful at a time until dough is wet enough to stick together. Since my coconut oil was melting fairly quickly, it only took me one tablespoon of milk. Use as much or as little as you need.

Knead the dough lightly-- just until it sticks together-- and separate into two balls, one twice as large as the other. Normally people wrap with plastic wrap, but since we’re trying to be as kind to the environment as possible, I encourage you to use sealable containers or reusable beeswax wraps instead. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Do NOT leave overnight, as your dough will become rock hard.

Take the larger of the two dough balls and press into the pie pan. Dock the crust with a fork to make sure steam can escape, then bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cook the mangoes on the stovetop in a pan over low heat until soft and broken up. Add the sugar and pinch of salt. I liked the chunks and didn’t want to overdo it, so I left mine slightly chunky. If you want a thicker filling, you can add a little cornstarch or agar agar (kind of like the vegan version of gelatin). Turn off the heat, then pour filling into the bottom crust.

Roll out the remaining dough ball and use a spoon or knife to shape the tiger's eyes and nose. You can also mold these pieces with your hands before placing on top of the mango filling. For the fur, I tore off thumbprint-sized pieces and stuck them on the edges of the pie dish, careful not to touch the glass with my fingers since it was still hot. Add as much or as little detail as you want. I decided to keep it relatively simple, with eyes, ears, fur, stripes, and a nose, all around ¼ inch thickness.

Bake the entire thing in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes, until the edges of the crust turn golden brown.

Remove from oven and cool completely.

Not to write a whole essay, but Life of Pi has a lot of deep themes to ponder. I like the metaphor of a double crust in this recipe, which likens to the idea of the duality of truth in the novel. I wanted to use coconut oil for the fat because coconuts come up in the novel, and it fit the tropical theme of the dessert. While it didn't exactly work out the way I wanted it to, this goes to show that life is unpredictable and will throw challenges at you. My little experiment was also an illustration of faith--faith that things would work out, and that my "life of pie" would still be delicious.

So, my final advice would be (1) use cold vegan butter/vegetable shortening, and (2) have fun with it. Be creative with your Richard Parker tiger face. Maybe your version has whiskers, or fangs. Or maybe it's not a tiger but a monkey. Or maybe something else altogether. No one said pie needed to be boring. Either way, it'll still taste great.

Happy Pi Day :)