Vinegar Pie

Instructions

FOR THE PIE CRUST: Using a food processor, a bowl with a pastry blender, or your fingers, cut the lard, butter and vegetable shortening into the flour and salt. Whatever method you choose, be careful not to overwork the dough, which would reduce flakiness. Add the water a few tablespoons at a time, until the dough just holds together. Divide the dough into two mounds, wrap them in plastic, and refrigerate them at least 30 minutes (or wrap one mound for the freezer, if you don’t plan to use it in the next couple of days).

If the pie crust is to be baked, preheat the oven to 400 F.

On a floured board or pastry cloth, roll out the dough in a circle a couple of inches larger than the pie pan. To avoid stretching the dough excessively, roll it from the center outwards, lifting the rolling pin after each stroke rather than rolling back over the dough in the opposite direction. Loosen the dough, drape it around the rolling pin, and center the crust over the pan, dropping it gently into place.

If you’re making a one crust pie, crimp the edges decoratively. If your pie is to have two crusts, roll out the second mound of dough, too.

For a single pre-baked crust, prick the dough in several spots. Cover the pie shell with foil, and weight the foil with dried beans or pie weights. Bake the crust for 10 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 350 F. and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or follow the directions in your pie recipe.

FOR THE FILLING: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bake the pie crust for 10 minutes. Remove the crust, and reduce the heat to 350 F.

Make the pie filling: In the top pan of a double boiler, beat the butter and sugar together with a hand mixer. Add the flour and spices, and beat well. Beat in the water, eggs, and vinegar.

Place the pan over its water bath and cook over medium low heat until the filling thick, stirring frequently. Pour the filling into the partially baked crust. Bake for 30 minutes, until the filling is the consistency of jellied cranberry sauce.

Serve the pie hot or at room temperature. Makes 1 pie.

Texas Home Cooking

Author's Comments

Don’t skip over this one too fast. Vinegar pie is much better than it sounds. When chuck wagon cooks had no dried fruit, they learned to substitute vinegar fermented from apple cider. Some of the resulting pies, when made without much spice, taste similar to lemon pies. This version adds a generous amount of spice, making it more like a pumpkin pie.

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