Vinegar Pie

I have a confession to make. It's one of those things one doesn't say out loud in mixed company for fear of someone taking it the wrong way, or really for fear of jinxing everyone, not least of all myself. I will whisper it.

I am secretly excited about the impending economic depression.

Especially with the staggering job losses of the last few weeks and the growing number of houses with dark windows and for sale signs, even in my relatively smug little neighborhood, it's a horrible thing to wish on. When I actually imagine the uncertainty of work hours or paychecks or healthcare, not to mention rent checks or food, I fall into a small panic. I have never really known hardship. Sure, I've worked continually since I was 16, held 2 and 3 jobs at times, but I've always been able to sock away a bit - enough for an IRA, enough to pay off credit cards every few years, enough to confidently quit a job that disagrees with me (or with which I disagree) without another immediately lined up, if it comes to that. I am a person who keeps an Excel spreadsheet to budget every penny - living expenses, savings, investments, mad money. I like to know what my future holds. I like to be in control.

At this point my loved ones are rolling their eyes in concert saying, "Tell us something new."

But seriously, losing control of my future because of the decisions of a bunch of guys who have no concept of what it means to make a living, to make enough to live on and with any luck just a little extra, frightens me. A couple of days ago I read an article about the declining meaning of money; about how when Enron gambled away $11.5 million of its employees' retirement, that was a big deal, and now Madoff has made off with $50 billion, yet the top story in the financial pages is the $500,000 salary cap for the asshole CEOs heading those banks that got a piece of the nearing $1 trillion bailout. I guess for a while, I haven't felt all that in control anyway. I feel locked out of the stairwell of upward mobility. Maybe what I'm excited about is that now everyone will have to scrap a little. A depression could shuffle a stacked deck, level the so-called playing field, give the rest of us a fighting chance - pick your metaphor. This is not the first time I could be called a pinko.

When the first really bad news started coming out, around last October, my friends and I began to compare notes about what we were doing to steel ourselves - buying dried beans in bulk and getting to know the fluorescent aisles of Cash'n'Carries. We may have a head start, since the mark of a good cook is not how delicious you make the choice ingredients, but how irresistible you make the scraps. I was flipping through cookbooks around this time when I found a recipe for vinegar pie. I had never heard of such a thing! According to Ruth Reichl, it enjoyed enduring popularity up until the '60s. And who was doing a good amount of the pie making then? All of those Depression moms who scrapped and saved and improvised the last time around. It was worth a try.

What I discovered is that vinegar pie is essentially a custard based on an acid just like lemon curd. I tweaked the recipe a little to add some richness and intensify the flavor. With apple cider vinegar and a little cinnamon, it tastes almost exactly like apple pie without the apples. Why not slap a lattice on top to complete the illusion?

Vinegar Pie

Pastry for single layer pie crust, extra if lattice design is desired
3 large eggs
1 C. sugar
2 T A.P. flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 C apple cider vinegar
1/4 C water
4 T sweet butter, cut into cubes
Egg wash
Cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 350.
If you desire a lattice, roll out a 10" circle of pastry and cut 3/4" wide strips from it. Arrange the strips on a flat cookie sheet lined with parchment paper in a lattice pattern with a 9" diameter. Place your overturned pie plate over the lattice and press to make an indentation. Cut away any excess dough which falls outside the circle of indentation. Brush the design with egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake the lattice until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool completely.
Roll out pastry and place in a 9" pie plate. Blind bake the bottom crust at the same time the top lattice is baking.
In a small saucepan, whisk together 3/4 C sugar with flour, salt, and cinnamon. Pour vinegar and water into the sugar mixture, whisking constantly. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking until sugar has completely dissolved.
Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and remaining 1/4 C sugar. When vinegar mixture has come to a boil, temper the egg mixture with it - drizzling the hot liquid slowly into the eggs , whisking constantly.
Return the warm mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens to the point of coating the back of the spoon. Turn off the heat, and stir in the butter, cube by cube, adding a new cube as the old one melts away.
Pour the hot filling into the hot pie shell. If the bottom crust is not ready at the same time as the filling, transfer the filling to a cool receptacle and cover with parchment paper.
Bake the pie until the filling has set, about 15-20 minutes. Cool completely.
Gently and carefully slide the lattice onto the top of the pie.
Serve with sweetened whipped cream.