Easy Balsamic Vinegar pie with Olive Oil Crust. I know it sounds sketchy, but “Desperation Cooking” has been part of our American culinary history for generations. And it recently experienced a comeback. Some haute cuisine restaurants across the country are paying their respects to this frugal form of cooking by adding comfort dishes to their menus. And they are re-imagining these dishes with elevated ingredients and stylized presentations.

A brief history on Desperation Cooking

There have been times when history has inspired me to revisit desperation cooking and start my green onion victory garden.

“Make Do” desserts that used buttermilk or vinegar to mimic the flavor of citrus; breadcrumbs to stretch a recipe; and alternate fats when butter wasn’t available are all a testament to the passion, ingenuity and hope of home cooks from times past. I say they were hopeful because they figured out how to take humble, scarce ingredients and create something that both nourished and nurtured body and soul. That seems less like desperation and more like active hope to me. And this phenomenon occurred across the country, giving rise to the likes of Hoosier Cream Pie in Indiana and Chess Pie in the South.

Another food-related, historical response to trying times is that of Victory Gardens. During WWII, people converted their yards into Victory Gardens as a way to support the war effort and supplement their rations. I imagine for those at home, they were also a powerful way to assert some control over what must have felt like a terrible, uncontrollable situation. This must have been especially true for those who had loved ones fighting abroad. Perhaps it provided an outlet for channeling anxious energy – a way to cultivate something positive in a troubling time.

Ingenuity and Resilience in the Kitchen

Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, we experienced how things can go from a time of plenty to scarcity very quickly. For many of us, this was a new feeling. We experienced weeks when there was not a roll of toilet paper, jar of yeast or brick of butter to be found anywhere. We may have experienced regional shortages of supplies from time to time, but nothing of this scale that spanned the country (at least, not in my lifetime). This new reality was one of the things that prompted me to create a post on my own little Green Onion Victory Garden.

This experience got me thinking more about those pioneer women who developed a style of cooking that used whatever was available to them when fresh fruit and other preferred ingredients were out of season or simply unavailable or too costly. So, I stood in front of my pantry and thought about how I could make a vinegar pie using the ingredients I already had on hand. I wanted to save the butter I had in the refrigerator for other things, so I called upon the mild olive oil in the cupboard to be the fat in my pie dough. To stay with the Italian theme, I grabbed the balsamic vinegar and a few scant other ingredients for this dessert.

Easy Balsamic Vinegar pie with Olive Oil Crust – How a Slice of Humble Pie Tastes

A slice of Easy Balsamic Vinegar Pie with Olive Oil Crust reveals a decadent custard filling. — Layers of pie

The following is a recipe for Easy Balsamic Vinegar Pie with Olive Oil Crust. It’s humble and understated. Nothing about this recipe seems like it should work, much less deliver a satisfying result, but it does. The crust looks lumpy and oily – like it couldn’t possibly hold its shape or crisp up when baked. However, it does. The filling may not be very flashy, but it develops distinct layers in the baking process. A crisp crust forms on the top, transitioning to a custard with caramel and fruit notes from the balsamic vinegar, vanilla and brown sugar.

And when fresh figs are in season, even a slice of this humble Easy Balsamic Vinegar Pie with Olive Oil Crust can be something quite grand.

Easy Balsamic Vinegar Pie with Olive Oil Crust

Recipe by Maria Ostrander Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Crisp olive oil crust, custard filling with caramel and fruit notes. Depending on the size of your slices, this pie will serve 8 – 10 people.

Ingredients

For the Pie Shell
1 1/2 cups A.P. Flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp. mild olive oil. NOTE: If you do not have a mild-flavored olive oil, vegetable oil may be substituted.
1/4 cup ice cold water
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar or white vinegar
For the Filling
4 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 1/2 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions

Prepping the oven and a baking sheet
Place a baking sheet in the oven while it is preheating to 350 degrees F. You want a hot base for the pie when you are ready to bake so that the bottom is cooked through. Prepare your shell while the oven is heating.
For the Pie Shell
Whisk together the dry ingredients.
Add the wet ingredients and blend together until a clumpy dough forms. The dough will appear oily and somewhat broken. This is normal.
Turn the dough out into a 9-inch pie pan. With your hands or the back of a measuring cup, begin to press the dough along the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan. Make sure the dough is not too thick in the corners and fill in any gaps or tears. Press the dough over the lip of the pie pan and trim off any excess with a butter knife.
Place the pie shell in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.
For the filling
In a large bowl, combine eggs, both sugars, melted butter, balsamic vinegar, vanilla and salt. Whisk together until thoroughly combined.
Once the oven has reached 350 degrees, remove the pan from the oven. Working quickly, place the prepared pie shell in the center of the pan and pour the filling into the shell.
Return the pie to the oven immediately and bake for approximately 50 – 55 minutes. The pie is ready to remove from the oven when a crust has formed over the top of the custard and the center is firm. The shell will be a golden brown.
Allow the pie to cool completely before serving.