Recipes

Rhubarb Pie Filling

Recipe No. 411 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.

Army TM10-412 · Desserts · Pie

Serves Filling for eighteen 9-inch pies.
View source — TM 10-412 Army Recipes (War Department, 1944) ↗

Recipe No. 411 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

Rhubarb — 25 pounds

  • Sugar, granulated — 12½ pounds (6¼ No. 56 dippers)
  • Salt — 2½ ounces (5 mess kit spoons)
  • Water — ½ pint (⅓ mess kit cup)
  • Cornstarch — 4½ ounces (¼ mess kit cup)

Directions

Key ingredients

Cornstarch

  1. Wash rhubarb; cut into ½ inch cubes.
  2. Combine rhubarb, 10 pounds (five No. 56 dippers) sugar, salt, and water.
  3. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes or until rhubarb is tender, stirring frequently. Drain.
  4. Mix cornstarch, the remaining 2½ pounds (1¼ No. 56 dippers) sugar and 1 quart (one No. 56 dipper) rhubarb liquid together; stir until smooth.
  5. Add cornstarch mixture slowly to hot liquid. Heat to boiling point; boil 5 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly.
  6. Add rhubarb. Cool before placing in unbaked pie shells.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Rhubarb — 2 lb Sugar, granulated — 1 lb Salt — about 1¼ tsp Water — 1¼ tbsp Cornstarch — about 2¼ tsp

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 411, Pies. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.