Vinegar Pie
I first heard of the classic Southern dessert Chess Pie when we moved to Cincinnati. It took moving farther South to discover its close relative, Vinegar Pie. The misleading name, makes one think of exciting taste combinations. I envisioned a crisp window-cleaner-like pudding resting on a salty lard crust. The reality is a tooth achingly sweet pie whose flavour is a bit reminiscent of butter tart filling. The one tablespoon of white vinegar mixed into the custardy filling gives just a hint of acidity — most likely existing only in my mind — without being overwhelming. Its probably for the best that my projected taste didn’t follow through and I have to say it goes quite nicely with coffee.
See now this looks delicious. I would expect you to put centipede legs in it or something.
haha, ya so far we haven’t really tried any ‘offal’ desserts.
My mama says do NOT, under any circumstances, mistake salt for sugar in this recipe, especially if making for your new husband, who is doubtful of the whole thing.
Family history, circa 1947.
See that sounds more fitting with the name of this pie, i was expecting something that tasted vaguely like Salt & Vinegar chips.
It’s really just a variant of chess pie– in fact my grandmother’s chess pie recipe does use vinegar. Also known as “transparent pie”. Good, if you like extreme sweets.
wow, this is the first I hear about this dessert, so intriguing!. I guess I should try it.
This pie has really grown on me–and on the plus side, its so sweet that you only need a tiny piece so it can feed 12 people!
nicole — i served vinegar pie all the time while cooking on a game preserve in southwest ohio. the reason behind vinegar pie and the others — old fashioned sugar cream included — is a list of ingredients easily at hand and cheap. fast and easy for a farm wife to throw together. i kept it for the possible times i would not have pecans or pumpking or fruit, and used it all the time because it was good, cheap, easy, and it set me apart as knowing something different. But even some of the older farm wives i spoke with didn’t know of it. It’s a heritage recipe. The recipe i had was from the ‘farm journal’s best ever pies’ and that book is gone. it had no thickeners whatsoever, no water, a stick of butter i believe, only vanilla. just loads of sugar. three eggs maybe. i dropped a large-ish pinch of slivered almonds plop in the center of the filling before baking to keep the simple aspect and add some visual interest. it went over just great guns!!
and all the recipes i see don’t suit me. where is yours?? i’ll be cooking on a preserve in southern virginia and i want my recipe…!!!
btw, southern cuisine is so very regional that it’s different every 50 miles. and no one recognizes these old recipes down here. i’m not sure that vinegar pie is even southern…. i’ve read edna lewis and scott peacock’s books and they say a wilted salad with hot bacon dressing is southern and no one i’ve ever served it to — even i South Carolina — has ever heard of it. These both may have Pennsylvania Dutch origins.
karen
This look and sounds a lot like what we call Gooey Butter Cake in St. Louis. And, as with most things in STL, we cut it in squares.
Do y’all have a recipe for it to share?
Sorry — we have only tried making it once so we haven’t really perfected a recipe.
And I was imagining something super-sour and tart! Looks delish!