Vinegar Pie (or Lemon-Free Lemon Pie)

By now, you've probably realized how expensive limes have gotten. You probably know that it's due to a poor growing season and if you're really up on what's been happening in Mexico, particularly in Michoacán where limes are big business, you might know that the problem has been exacerbated by violence and the drug cartels. To avoid a rant about drug-related violence, let's talk about limes.

In our household, we go through limes like you wouldn't believe. We're the weird people who go to the grocery store every day (sometimes multiple times a day) because we can walk there. Many a trip has been made solely for limes, sometimes for pico de gallo, sometimes for whatever variation of Moscow Mules we're craving. Because of lime prices (we buy them so often we have a special coupon at the grocery store for 17 cent limes that now cost 54 cents), I've been forced to substitute lemons.

Now, in case lemon prices ever sky rocket, let's talk about a substitute for lemons. Have you ever had vinegar pie? Sounds weird, right? Here's a recipe for a dairy-free, lemon-free pie that tastes just like lemon meringue pie (without the meringue). Thank the pioneers. Not only did they settle our country, they discovered that water, sugar, flour, egg, and apple cider could be made into a faux-fruit pie!

Objective
Make a crust-less vinegar pie in ramekins based on this Vinegar Pie from the Township of Springwater, CA. Shout out to Underbelly restaurant for the inspiration (they serve theirs in a thick pastry shell with salt brittle on top).

Materials
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten until frothy
1-3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (start with 1 tbsp and taste before adding more)
1 tsp. citrus extract (optional, I used orange)
candied lemon slices (for garnish, see supplementary materials)

Methods
1. Bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour until well-incorporated. Whisk the flour-sugar into the boiling water and continue whisking until thickened (like a custard, you want it to coat the back of a wooden spoon and not drip when you swipe it). Remove from heat.
2. Temper the eggs by whisking a little bit of the sugar-water mixture into the frothy eggs. Then whisk the tempered eggs into the rest of the sugar-water mixture. Continue whisking until the mixture looks smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Stir in the apple cider vinegar. Feel free to give it a taste (careful it's hot) to see if you need to add any extract.
4. Pour into four 4.5 oz. ramekins (if you have smaller ramekins, use them! If you want to make tarts, use baked mini tart shells). Chill the "custards" approximately 3 hours until set. Garnish with candied lemon slices before serving.

Results
The color is subtly yellow from the egg yolk. The aroma is a bit acidic (read: vinegar). To me, it tastes like citrus but to C, it tastes like vinegar.

Discussion and Future Directions
First off, let's be honest. This should be way more than 4 servings (unless you like a dessert with ~45g of sugar). Plus, without a crust, the flavor is strong. I suggest sharing one ramekin. A better idea would be to chill the custard in pre-baked single-serving tart pastries. That would make the custard a thin layer and therefore decrease the serving. Or you could make a pie (I would make 1.5x this recipe for a 9" pie). A shortbread crust would be perfect.

Now, let' talk about the vinegar. I used the full 3 tablespoons which made it unpalatable for C. Clearly, a little less vinegar would be ok. A lot less vinegar would probably be fine. The original recipe calls for 3 tablespoons (technically 6, but I halved the recipe). If I were you, I would try adding the apple cider vinegar tablespoon by tablespoon until it has enough flavor without tasting too vinegary. Alternatively, just go for 1 tbsp. of vinegar with 1-2 tbsp. lemon juice.

This unique little dessert is something to try when you're in the mood for something new and different. It's probably not the best dessert to try for the first time on guests. (Or depending on the guests, it may be the perfect dessert...)

Supplementary Materials

Candied Lemon Slices: Bring 3/4 cup water to a boil. Stir in 3/4 cup sugar until dissolved. Cut 1 small-medium lemon in 1/4" thick slices. Add the lemons in a single layer floating on the top of the syrup. Boil until the pulp of the lemon is translucent, about 10 minutes, flipping the slices half way through. Drain and move to a wire rack to cool. Want to know the best part? If you cool the syrup and put it in a glass jar, you get the added bonus of having just made homemade lemon simple syrup! (Just add vodka and some lemon juice and you've got yourself a lemon drop martini. Or, add gin and lemon juice and muddle some blackberries for a blackberry bramble)