It will come as no surprise to you, wise people of the internet that this, in all it’s earthy glory, is a potato:
And this, is a can of beans.
They don’t call me Captain Obvious for nothing!
What is probably not so obvious is that you can turn these into this:
That’s right, lemon meringue pie made from spuds and beans.
How?
Well, it’s Pieathalon – the foodie equivalent of Mouseketeer Surprise Day; anything can happen and it usually does!
Starting with a brand new logo (thanks Greg, it looks super!)
Pieathalon is that time of year when bloggers from all over the world swap recipes and rejoice in the kooky baked goods of yesterday. The full list of participants and what they made is at the bottom of the post. Why not go visit them all? Maybe start with Battenberg Belle who is making my pie of choice, Fatty Arbuckle’s Delight, then pop over to Ruth at Mid Century Menu who sent me lemon potato pie!
Lemon Potato Pie – The Pie
The recipe for Lemon Potato Pie comes from 250 Superb Pies and Pastries, a book from 1941. The use of the humble spud instead of the more luxurious ingredient of butter to create lemon curd had a feel of wartime austerity about it. Butter was rationed right? Otherwise….why? No, seriously, WHY?
Let’s not delve too deeply into the minds of 1941 and get stuck right in to the pie. Starting with some grated potato.
This was then parboiled for a spell and quickly became a kind of gloopy liquid.
After the rest of the ingredients were added and it cooked some more, the potato broke down even further. However, at the end of the cooking there were still some small flakes of potato which were odd and a bit off putting when you tasted the….sludge. So, even though this was not in the recipe I blended the lemon mixture to make it smooth. Bear, in mind I have the fussiest eater in the world as my chief taste tester!
Lemon Potato Pie – The Meringue
So, then to the meringue. And here disaster struck. I had put the separated whites into a bowl and left them on the far side of the kitchen bench while I made the filling. When it came time to make the meringue I looked around to where I had left the egg whites and they had vanished.
“Did you take my egg whites?” I asked The Fussiest Eater in The World.
“I gave them to the dogs. I thought that’s what you left them for”.
We had no more eggs. And we had been to a rather boozy lunch that day so there was no option of getting into the car to go buy more eggs.
“Crap…guess, I’ll have to finish it tomorrow”.
A bit later, I was making our dinner which was the Argentine Beef Stew from The A-Z of Cooking (1971). I will definitely blog about that one soon, it was DELICIOUS and I remembered something about making meringues from bean water. A quick visit to Google confirmed that you could make meringue from the water that surrounds tinned chickpeas or white beans. Why not give it a whirl? It’s in the same spirit of “make do and mend” as the potato based filling.
I drained the can of beans, the beans went into the stew and the bean water went into the mixer.
I was incredibly surprised to see that it meringued up a treat!
Ooops! I’d over filled my pie!
In homage to Ruth, I thought I would let the Fussiest Eater in The World have the final say on the Lemon Potato Pie.
Lemon Potato Pie: The Verdict
Mixed.
So, what do you think?
“The filling is gorgeous. It’s really delicious”.
And the meringue?
“Tastes like the worst marshmallow in the world”.
Well done cooks of 1941! And thanks Ruth for a super recipe! Your lemon potato pie is delicious!
Sadly, vegans and egg intolerants, the aqua fava meringue was not. It was much more marshmallow-y than meringue-y. It was very gooey and a bit stringy – think mozzarella cheese on a pizza.
Here is the recipe for the pie:
Given the bean meringue was a failure, here is the proper recipe for the meringue from Ruth.
“The recipe for Meringue 1 is 2 egg whites, 4 tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla. Beat eggs until frothy, add sugar gradually, and continue beating until stiff. Add flavoring. Pile on pie and bake in 325 degree oven for 15-18 minutes”
Pieathalon 3 – The Bloggers
Here is the full list of the wonderful crazy people who participated in Pieathalon this year. I’m heading off to see their creations! Why not join me?
- Yinzerella at Dinner Is Served 1972 (www.dinnerisserved1972.com) Peanut & Beer Pie
- Poppy at Grannie Pantries (http://granniepantries.
blogspot.com/) Lemon Meringue Pie - Kelly at Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-en (http://velveteenloungekitsch-
en.blogspot.com). Heidenische kuchen (Heathen Cake) - Greg at Recipes4Rebels (www.recipes4rebels.com) Fluellen’s Pie
- S S at A Book of Cookrye (abookofcookrye.blogspot.com) Perpetrating Chocolate “Pie”
- Silver Screen Suppers (www.silverscreensuppers.com)
making Creme De Cacao Pie -
Battenburgbelle (battenburgbelle.com) has the pleasure of making Fatty Arbuckle’s Delight!
-
John The Hedonizer is making Fidgety Pie. Www.foodandwinehedonist.com
-
Susie at Bittersweet Susie (https://bittersweetsusie.
wordpress.com_ made Star Gazy Pie -
Ruth at Mid-Century Menu (http://www.midcenturymenu.com
) Brandy Apple Pie - Surly at Vintage Recipe Cards (http://www.
vintagerecipecards.com) Transparent Pie - Erica at Retro Recipe Attempts (http://retrorecipe.wordpress.
com) made Mai Tai Pie!
Thanks as ever to the wonderful Yinzerella for making it all happen!
Have a wonderful week. Now go eat some pie!
