Depression-Era Water Pie Is Actually Really Tasty

When you think of mouthwatering meals, Depression-era foods are probably the last thing to come to your mind. After all, these recipes were based on low-cost foods and affordable ingredient swaps rather than calling for things like prime rib and foie gras.

However, while Depression-era meals may not have included some of the ritzy and glitzy items that people in wealthier economic times can enjoy, that's not to say that they weren't still tasty. In fact, there's one dessert recipe from this time period that's actually surprisingly delicious — water pie.

While this might sound like something reminiscent of your toddler's snacktime 'goldfish soup,' it's actually a fully-fledged pie baked in a tasty pie crust just like favorites such as apple and blueberry pie. It has a gelatinous, sticky sweet filling that tastes sort of like a sugar cookie, making it a dessert that's well worth knowing about and having in your baking repertoire.

Water pie uses your favorite pie crust – whether that's a homemade one or a storebought one. Beyond the pie crust is where things start to get interesting. The filling of this pie, as you can probably gather from the name, calls for water as one of the core ingredients. The water gets poured straight into the unbaked pie crust. Then, a mixture of flour and sugar is sprinkled over the water. To finish the whole thing off, drizzle vanilla into the water filling and then drop in a few pats of butter. Then, the whole thing gets baked and finally chilled in the fridge to allow it to fully set.

Now, while you might think that the pie will come out of the oven liquidy, it actually forms a sort of gelatinous filling. As the pie bakes, the heat from the oven causes the butter to emulsify and the sugar to melt into a liquid, spreading throughout the watery filling. At the same time, the flour in the mixture acts as a thickener, just like it would if you were making a custard or a roux. This is thanks to the starch in it, which leaks into the filling, helping it to set. The result is a pie filling that's reminiscent of pecan pie — minus the nuts, of course. Although it's a bit unconventional, it's still deliciously tasty!

When you've baked your dessert and it's chilled, you're welcome to just eat it straight. However, you can also dress it up just like you would any other pie. For instance, a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream can add some richness to the pie that pairs well with the jelly-like filling. Or, you can offset some of the sweetness by drizzling a tart raspberry sauce over the top. Since water pie has a sweet yet fairly neutral flavor, the possibilities are endless when it comes to what to pair with it.

After you've mastered your water pie, you can also start to play around with a couple of variations. Sprinkling a bit of cinnamon (or other spices, for that matter) over your water pie filling before baking it can give it an extra layer of flavor that helps add dimension. Egg yolks mixed into the water can add a custard-like richness. Or, you could play with using lemon, chocolate, or anything that strikes your fancy instead of vanilla to flavor your dish. Another option is to make the recipe using Sprite instead of water, which adds an extra touch of caramelization. So, although water pie might not sound appealing at first, it's actually a delicious and inventive means of using pantry staples.