This pie has a long history and was presumably created by folks who lacked access to fresh ingredients like lemons or cream. Some claim that the pioneer women came up with the concept originally. I added lemon extract to this recipe myself. Regular vinegar is used in the original recipe, which in my opinion results in a tasteless pie. For a very pleasant taste, you can omit the lemon extract and use apple cider vinegar instead. Before filling, make careful to let the pie shell cool.
| Prep Time: | 40 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 55 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
| Yield: | 1 9-inch pie |
Ingredients
- 1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
- ¼ cup sifted all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup water
- 3 egg yolks
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ teaspoon lemon extract
- 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 3 egg whites
- 6 tablespoons white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
- Mix the flour with 1/2 cup of sugar. Add the water gradually and cook on top of a double boiler for 15 minutes, stirring constantly, or until thickened.
- Combine the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with the yolks and salt and mix well with a whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Add the hot flour mixture to the yolk mixture gradually, mixing all the time. Return to the double boiler and cook for about 3 minutes more or until the mixture is thick and smooth.
- Add the butter, extract, and vinegar. Mix well and remove from heat. Place a piece of plastic on top of this custard.
- Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until foamy and gradually add the 6 tablespoons sugar. Beat until a stiff, glossy peak is achieved.
- Pour the custard filling into the prebaked shell ( the custard should still be hot, if not, heat up a again before adding to shell). Top with the meringue. Spread the meringue all over the top of the pie, sealing to the edges of the crust. Place into the oven and bake until the meringue is a nice nut brown, about 15 minutes. Traditionally, this pie is served hot.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 267 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 46 g |
| Cholesterol | 81 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 4 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 163 mg |
| Sugars | 35 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I love this recipe. I grew up with my grandmother making this pie, but after she passed, we couldn’t find hers. This is very close. I bake it a couple time a year and will continue to do so.
gr8 pi m8. but apple cider vinegar is the most disgusting ingredient i’ve ever tasted and i’ve had raw vanilla extract
This is a great recipe. I recommend doubling the filling, because the recipe produces a small amount of filling.
I wanted to make this pie after reading the book The Giant Joshua by Maurine Whipple. Great book and great pie! Even though I like a fruit pie a la mode the best, I rate this 5 stars for what it is – – tangy and sweet.
This pie is wonderful. Since it is so work intensive, I would make the filling next time in a larger quanity since the 9″ pie amount (about a cup)is ok for a store bought pie crust but does not fill a generous home made pie pan. I added key lime juice instead of lemon.