Vinegar Pie

Bored, broke, and feel like baking? This pie is a serious, historical classic- producing a flavor that is not unpleasant, but neither for the faint of heart or unadventurous taster. Vinegar Pie has a ton of variations. Here is one that is easy and inexpensive.

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

Unless you have the world's most efficient kitchen, it always helps when baking to assemble your materials before the work begins. In many ways, baking is as much chemistry as it is anything else, so not having that crucial ingredient when you need it can lead to a do over real fast.

You'll need:

Pie Crust:

1 1/3 cups flour
Dash Salt
1/3 cups vegetable oil
3 tbsp milk

Filling:

1/4 cups butter
2 eggs
1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tspn nutmeg
3 tbsp vinegar (any kind)

Step 2: Make the Pie Crust

This is a really old, really easy way to make a pie crust. It does not make the best crust out there, but it is perfectly serviceable and easy to clean up from. First, assemble all of your ingredients, and dump all of your flour in the pan. Create a well in it, and dump every thing else in the well.

Step 3: Mix the Crust Ingredients Right in the Pan

That's right - why mess up a clean mixing bowl when you have a perfectly good vessel right here? Using a fork, begin by gently stirring the ingredients until the flour begins to absorb the liquids. Keep stirring until the fork is not longer effective, then dig right in there with your hand. You should be able to scrape up all the excess flour with your fingers, and keep mixing until you are able to form a greasy ball of dough.

Step 4: Press the Crust Out to the Edges of the Pan

Using your clean hands and fingers, slowly press the dough out to the edges of the pan. It will take a little while to do this without tearing the dough, so be patient. Eventually, your crust will come to just below the edge of the tin. Now set the crust aside, set your oven to bake at 400 degrees, and continue to the next step.

Step 5: Make the Filling

Now you will make the filling. You will need a medium sized mixing bowel, a standard hand mixer, and a rubber spatula. I have never been one for caring what order different ingredients are added in a formula, so my advice here is to just dump it all in the bowl and get mixing.

Step 6: Mix the Filling

Mix the filling using a standard hand mixer, on high, until well blended. Scrape the bowl once with a rubber spatula and then blend for a few more minutes. Pour into the pie crust.

Step 7: Bake Your Pie

Bake the pie for 40 minutes at 400 degrees.

Step 8: Remove Pie and Allow to Cool

Voila. Notice the caramelized surface of the pie. At this point, you can eat it plain, with whipped cream, meringue, or just carry it around the house trying to convince your family to eat a pie flavored with vinegar. Your call.

Comments

[obillo]

Re real vs imitation vanilla. Experts have told me that the imitation is actually better than the real because the real stuff loses some flavor in baking. Anyone else heard this?

[JesicaM1]

I've just made it. I like it! I think the amoun of vinegar in the recipe is just right, but the nutmeg is too much. I'd use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.

[hank-cowdog]

3tsp of vinegar is 1 Tablespoon, less acid than 1/2 a lemon. Should make it a little tart, but nowhere near "sour". The vinegar balances the Ph to help the custard set.

[LILLIAN-R]

WOW...rough crowd here! I just want to say that I made a vinegar pie today and loved it! You can read and see it in my blog... http://myrecipejourney-lillian.blogspot.com/2012/08/vinegar-pie.html

[zachninme]

Nice. Although, what is up with the imitation vanilla extract!? Spend the extra buck and get the real thing!

[MsJan]

Your Right...we do not need to be adding more chemicals to our body. We need natural foods. Who needs cancer? GO NATURAL or ORGANIC.

[liminalcriminal]

and also, why is there a picture of vanilla when there's no mention of it in the recipe itself?

[blodefood]

If you substituted the white sugar with maple sugar, it would be a delicacy known as "tarte au sucre" or sugar pie. Or, I suppose you could add a bit of molasses for a darker flavour.

[roulopa]

There is no vinegar in "tarte au sucre", is there? Well not in the original northern France recipe anyway.

Enjoy, looks good!
Mickaël

[Kaiven]

WOW!! YES!! My pie is cooking! i made it with my friend, and instead of vinegar we used honey. this thing will probably be really sweet. i cant wait to see how it comes out :P

[Flumpkins]

Sounds bitter

[ths]

candy is made from vinagar and sugar, so it should be good

[blodefood]

So is farmer-style ginger ale. Apple cider vinegar is used, though.

[infinitysnake]

I've had a version of this pie...I believe it was called 'shaker pie,' one of several my great grandma used to make in a wood oven. (The others were a banana cream pie that was just bananas, cream, and brown sugar, shoo-fly pie, and a lemon pie with sliced lemons which was waay better than it sounds.) "pecan pie would be cheaper methinks" Really? Where I live, pecans are $7 for a half pound bag...that's pretty dear.

[trebuchet03]

hehe.. pecan pie would be cheaper methinks :P Light (or dark) syrup is pretty cheap :P I think I have all of those ingredients though... so I might just try this -- Halloween scary pie fun...

[zachninme]

You could make a ghost thing on it by cutting out a ghost outline in foil, and placing it over the pie. As it bakes, the uncovered parts "burn" more.
(Its not actually burning, it's just cooking more-ish)

[jerbtown]

Brown Sugar pie is real cheap too, but in my area, pecans (all nuts) are pricey. This is definitely po-folk food. I understand people made it in the old days when the apple barrel was empty and all that was left was the vinegar.

[stienman]

Keep in mind, everyone, that ketchup's second main ingredient is vinegar, before sugar. (usually tomato, vinegar, sugar, "natural flavors(right!)", preservatives, coloring) It can be quite good depending on the other ingredients. That said, I'm not going to try it anytime soon...

[austin]

ketchup varys on the ingredients some brands have more sugar than vinegar some have others.

[jerbtown]

I actually have an apple pie recipe around here somewhere that calls for ketchup....