Custard Pie Filling

Recipe No. 402 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Pies. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Sugar, granulated — 6 pounds (3 No. 56 dippers)
• Cornstarch — 1½ ounces (4 mess kit spoons)

Salt — ¾ ounce (1½ mess kit spoons)

• Eggs, slightly beaten — 70 eggs (3½ No. 56 dippers)
• Milk, evaporated — 11 — 14½-ounce cans
• Water (for milk) — 1 gallon (4 No. 56 dippers)
• Butter, melted — 6 ounces (¼ mess kit cup)
• Vanilla — 3 ounces (6 mess kit spoons)
• Nutmeg — as needed

Directions

Key ingredients

Cornstarch · Evaporated Milk

1. Sift sugar, cornstarch, and salt together.
2. Add beaten eggs and mix thoroughly.
3. Mix milk and water; add vanilla, butter, and nutmeg. Stir slowly into egg mixture; mix thoroughly.
4. Place unbaked pie shells in oven. Pour one No. 56 dipper filling into each pie shell.
5. Bake in hot oven (400° to 425° F.) about 15 minutes. Reduce heat and continue baking 15 minutes or until center of pie filling has risen level with crust. Remove immediately from oven.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Sugar, granulated — 7⅔ oz Cornstarch — about ¾ tsp Salt — about ⅓ tsp Eggs, slightly beaten — 5⅔ eggs Milk, evaporated — 1 can(s) (14½ oz) Water (for milk) — 1¼ cups Butter, melted — ½ oz Vanilla — about 1½ tsp Nutmeg — to taste

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 402, Pies. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.