It's irrational, but I love Pi Day--or, multiples of 11

A pie crust for people who believe in butter.

I almost forgot that today is Pi Day. It's the first one in years for which I baked no pie. Just not in the mood. But pies have been part of my life since I was a child, not because anyone in the family baked superb pies, but because I loved them. They were my preferred dessert any time I had a choice. I started trying to make crust when I was 11. Miserable results, partly because my mother did not believc in butter. By the time I was 22 I could produce good crust, just not reliably. Thus the quest for the perfect pie crust. I hit dependability when I was 44; now, at 66, it's a crust you can be happy to eat, even if it is not the apotheosis of what crust can be. The good-enough pie crust, D.W. Winnicott might say. 

A layer of almond paste is a good addition to all the almond-essence fruits.