Because resources were so scarce during the Great Depression, people found clever tricks to make a little seem like a lot. Some of those tricks bordered on magic, like in this Water Pie, where water is the main ingredient and yet somehow you end up with a pie that’s creamy and sweet and totally indulgent.
Because resources were so scarce during the Great Depression, people found clever tricks to make a little seem like a lot. Some of those tricks bordered on magic, like in this Water Pie, where water is the main ingredient and yet somehow you end up with a pie that’s creamy and sweet and totally indulgent. It uses just a few pantry ingredients but still manages to feel like a special treat.
When you saw the name Water Pie, you might have thought that it was cooked in a water bath, or that water was somehow involved in the cooking method, but no, water really is the main ingredient. It gets poured into a pie crust…
… but the final flourish is a few pats of butter, which gives the pie a straightforward sweet and buttery flavor.
INGREDIENTS
1 deep dish 9-inch pie crust, unbaked
1 1/2 cups water
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 tablespoons butter, sliced
PREPARATION
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