How-To Tuesday: How to Summon Piethulhu

Halloween is over, but the Old Ones won’t sleep for long. You never know when they’re going to burst out from the shadows, from a closet…or from inside your pie!

Ever since California-based artist Sandy Yoo created a dangerously delicious pie last year, I have yearned to attack this food decoration project. Finally, the time has come! Dear Reader, I must reveal the horrific details of this most dreadfully supercool endeavor, so that you can make your own Piethulhu (did you see what I did there?).

What You’ll Need:

–    Enough pie dough for two 9-inch pie crusts 
–    Pecan pie filling (I used my favorite recipe from Joy of Cooking)
–    Rolling pin
–    Knife
–    Extra pecans

I’m a recipe-follower, so your first step is to find your favorite pecan pie recipe. NOTE: Since it’s all about the crust decoration, you can Cthulhu-ize any type of pie, from Chess to Cherry. I was in the mood for pecan pie, so that’s the way I went. Just hold on to a couple of the berries or nuts you’re using for the filling; you’ll need these for the eyes.

Prep the bottom crust in a greased 9-inch pie pan, and add the pie filling. Set aside. Roll out the second pie crust, nice and thin. 

Begin by making the tentacles. Using a knife (it doesn’t have to be sharp), cut 8-12 tentacles out of the rolled-out pie dough. A good way to do this is to cut one side straight, one side curvy.

Place the tentacles on top of the pie filling. The ends should group towards the back of the pie, and overlap a good bit. This mound will become your base for the Old One’s head. There’s really no limit to how many arms the Cthulhu should have—give him 20 if you think it looks better! Make the tentacles long enough so they hang over the edges of the crust, as if the monster is about to climb out and eat your face. Ahem.

Now it’s time for the head. Cut the shape out of the remaining pie dough. It’s pretty simple; you just need a big circle with three or four little triangles at the bottom, for that classic Cthulhu mouth.

Here’s where you can make this guy truly awesome. Save a little of the pie filling (a couple tablespoons worth). Pour it carefully onto the tentacle base you’ve made, and mold the Cthulhu head over the top of the extra filling. Now you have a monster with delicious pie brains!

Next is the most important step: the eyes. This is what will make this a recognizable terrifying Cthulhu. Cut two almond shapes out of the pie dough, and make slits in the center of the cutout. Place two pecans on the head. Position the almond shapes over the pecans so the nuts poke out of the slits to make eyeballs.

The shape of the eyes is key to making this guy look evil. Mold the almond shapes around the pecan eyeballs, to make the Cthulhu look angry. Keep playing with it until you’re satisfied, and then stick him in the oven!

Once he’s browned and flaky, your Cthulhu will shock your friends into speechless hunger. 

If you make your own Piethulhu, be sure to share a picture with us online! This would be a great way to freak out your relatives at Thanksgiving, by the way. Piethulhus of the world, UNITE.