I’ve been trying to pick Mom’s brain about ways to save money that are even more black-belt level than the ones I already do. Mom was born in 1929 and remembers the depression quite a bit. One of the things she remembered was that the neighbors made ‘Water Pie’. According to her, “You ate what was in front of you and were happy to have it.” Sweets were pretty rare, but this is one she remembers hearing of, if not having. So when she came across a recipe for it, it was of course, sent to me to try.

First – pie crust. I’ve never been able to make pie crust well except by using Mom’s recipe:

2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup oil

5 tblsp ice water

Mix flour, salt, and oil until it looks like tiny pebbles. Add water slowly until it comes together in a ball.

The nice thing about the crust is it is flaky, but does not require any time in the refrigerator to chill. You can use it right away.

Divide in half and roll it out to about 1/7″ thick (cause why not be difficult?) between two pieces of waxed paper.

Measure against your pan to make sure it’s big enough.

Flip the crust into your pan.

Peel off the waxed paper.

Fit the crust into the pan. Run your finger around the bottom edge to remove any air pockets and to make sure it is even, then cut around the edge of the pan at the top.

Fix the edges where it doesn’t come to the top of the pan with the scraps you’ve cut off. You may have a little leftover dough.

You can flute the edge to pretty it up, or leave it plain. It tastes the same and face it, pie crust is just the vehicle to hold the good stuff!

Save your waxed paper after brushing it off; fold it up and put it in box for the next time you make a pie.

Now you have two pie shells. You can use them in any recipe that calls for an unbaked pie shell.

For the water pie, start with an unbaked pie shell. Pour 1 1/2 cups of water (or you can use soda. I used cream soda, but you could use something like Sprite or ginger ale too) into the crust. Mix together one cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour in a bowl. Sprinkle this over the water or soda – do not stir. Drizzle 2 tsp. vanilla over this, then place 5 tablespoons of butter on top that you have cut into pieces. Do not stir. Bake at 400* for 30 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 375* and bake for another 30 minutes. You may need to cover the crust if it starts getting too brown. When the pie is done, it will look, well, watery. Let it cool, then refrigerate for a couple hours before cutting.

It was… different. I think that today we are used to really sweet, very nuanced flavors, and this is not. I see how it could fill a spot for a sweet, but I would choose to make something else. The pie ends up being very sticky, almost chewy and after the first bite tasted very sweet. I probably will not make it again.