Vinegar Pie

I decided to open up my recipe selection to the whims of my facebook friends. I've been immediately punished for that decision as they chose something ominously named Vinegar Pie. Since posting about my dismay I've heard from quite a few people that they have vinegar pies that they love including at Cincinnati pie favorite O pie O. I'm assuming the pies the reference use more for flavor than sugar and vinegar but we'll bake it and see how it goes.

Let's break this down

• 3 Eggs
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 Cup Vinegar
• Pie Crust

Here's how I tackled this

I checked the entire book and there isn't a single recipe for pie crust. I assume this is because it was just a given that anyone could make a pie crust so I went online and grabbed Mary Berry's recipe.

Crust!

I somehow don't own a rolling pin so I used a can which led to a crust that isn't the prettiest but I think it'll get the job done.

MB's face if she knew what I did to her pie crust

Then I cracked the eggs into a bowl, mixing in the flour and giving it a whisk. This got set aside until I was ready for it.

Next the vinegar and sugar went into a pot on the stove to be brought to a boil. The recipe doesn't say anything about using a vinegar other than white so although I think an apple cider vinegar would be better I am using white. This was brought to a boil until all the sugar dissolved. At one point I accidentally put my nose over the pot and it was a horrifying smell that knocked me back a bit.

When it was at a good boil I poured in the egg and panic whisked it because I was worried the eggs would cook before they were incorporated. It looked a touch lumpy but not too bad.  From there it just went into the shell and into a 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes. It had a little jiggle in it when I took it out and was brown around the edges

It looks like pie and smells like cleaning solution!

I waited a day before adding on the meringue and baking it. It smelled fiercely of vinegar so I let it sit out on the counter uncovered to air out. This actually did help. There were no instructions for the meringue. I don't feel the need to play games with this pie there is already a lot working against it. So I did a quick google search and used this recipe. I didn't have lemon extract so I zested a lemon into the mixture.

The Verdict

There seems to be quite a bit of interest in how this pie turned out so I recorded a short reaction video that will be on my facebook page!

This pie left a weird burning sensation in my mouth. It reminded me of that after burn you get when you take a shot of alcohol and it was a pretty unsettling sensation. I maybe ate half my piece because I was pretty convinced it would give a stomach ache but my husband ate all of his so we'll see if that turns out okay. The taste really wasn't bad otherwise. It did taste a bit like lemon and the meringue and crust were both really good. I would like to try another vinegar pie maybe with fruit filling or honey to see if that improves the overall experience.

Have you ever tried a vinegar pie, and if so do you have a favorite recipe? If so, let me know in the comments!