Today, March 14, is no typical Wednesday — it’s Pi Day — and Google is celebrating the occasion with a special Doodle and pie recipe, courtesy of one of the world’s most renowned pastry chefs.
This year’s Pi Day is the 30th anniversary of its first commemoration back in 1988, when physicist Larry Shaw first organized the holiday in San Francisco based on the date — 3/14 — the first three digits of the infinite, irrational number that has been utilized in mathematics and science for thousands of years. Nowadays, Pi Day is often associated with food — perhaps pizza, or a meat pie, but in this case, a classic American apple pie with a French twist.
The dessert is visible right in Google’s Doodle, baked by award-winning pastry chef Dominique Ansel, who popularized the Cronut and other sweet treats in his bakeries throughout New York, Los Angeles, London, and Tokyo. But you don’t have to go to one of those locations to pick up the pie featured on Google’s homepage, you can bake it right at home thanks to an accompanying recipe.
“Apple caramel pie — it’s one of my favorites,” Ansel says in a behind-the-scenes video of him baking the Google Doodle. “It’s pure simplicity, but there’s always a way to have a twist on it and make it a little more modern.”
If you’re not so confident in the kitchen or just hankering to get out of the house, don’t worry — there are a number of Pi Day deals at restaurants and stores throughout the country. Get discounts on dessert pies at Whole Foods, or on pot pies at Boston Market, or pizza pies at Hungry Howie’s, to name a few. You can check out a full list of Pi Day discounts available right here.
