We relish the chance to experiment with vintage recipes and Dinner is Served 1972’s #Pieathalon promised a great opportunity to test a pie from the past. Over twenty bloggers swapped pie recipes from pre-1990 cookbooks for the event.  We received “Almost a Pie” from a 1978 Weight Watchers Hot Stuff Recipe pamphlet from Mimi at Once Upon a Salad.

Combining eggs, milk, and bread in the blender along with artificial sweetener and diet margarine did not seem promising, even with some extracts and nutmeg for flavoring.  One of the bloggers had mentioned she would be choosing her recipe with an “evil laugh”  — was this her recipe?

And… where was the crust? Were we missing part of the recipe? We contacted Dinner is Served 1972 for her opinion.
“Maybe the bread that’s included just MAGICALLY makes a crust, ” she ventured. We were hopeful for a exciting chemical reaction in the oven, and feeling slightly more optimistic.

But, no crust magically appeared, and Almost a Pie was not even nearly, practically or virtually a pie!

It was reminiscent of a bread pudding or a cake, but not a pie. The texture was strange, even for any of the above dessert categories, and the flavor was unappealing. We’re not sure what Weight Watchers had in mind in creating a “pie-like” low calorie dessert (or if Almost a Pie is even low calorie).

It was also offputting that the instructions called for spraying the pan with a release agent, which sounded dangerous (definition: “agents that act as bond breakers for concrete”).

Still, the chance to test a recipe was fun, and we look forward to seeing fellow Pieathletes’ recipes!

• Aloha Meringue Pie by Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook
• Apricot Meringue Pie by Eliot’s Eats
• Chocolate Mousse Pie by Kelli’s Kitchen
• Cool Mint Cookie Pie by The Book of Cookrye
• Dutch Peaches and Cream Pie by Vintage Recipe Cards
• French Raspberry Pie by Tortillas and Honey
• Frosty Vanilla Pie by Battenberg Belle
• Kate’s Pie by Dinner is Served 1972
• Lemon Beer Sponge Pie by Homicidal Homemaker
• Marguerite Patten’s Cheese Pie by Velveteen Lounge Kitsch-en
• Mock Pecan Pie by MyCustardPie.com
• Olde English Eggnog Pie by HeritageRecipeBox.com
• Peaches and Cream Tart by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Puddin n’ Pie by The Sound of Vincent Price & Vincent Price Legacy UK
• Ritz Cracker Mock Apple Pie by Dr. Bobb’s Kitschen
• Seafoam Cantaloupe Pie by Recipes4Rebels
• Strawberry Ginger Pie by Granny Pantries
• Sweet Onion Pie by Silver Screen Suppers – The Wonderful World of Film Star Eating and Drinking
• Tansey by The Nostalgic Cook
• The Millionaire by Once Upon a Salad
• Tyler Pie by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Vincent Price Pineapple Meringue by Retro Food for Modern Times
• Yul Brenner’s Walnut Pie by Vintage Cookbookery