Uhm. I’m not really great at pie. Seriously.
Or at least thats what I always say. I might not be able to get away with that anymore, though. Between the apple bourbon brown butter whatever it was pie and the apple cranberry pie and now this… people are starting to think I’m just full of shit. They’re starting to think I pretend I’m not good at pie so that I can avoid making it.
But in the past I’ve had on and off love/hate relationship with pie. I’m notoriously bad at the crust because I lack patience. And I also never wait for them to cool before cutting so, yeah, they can look messy. Some come out perfect. Others don’t. This one. Meh.
This butterscotch pie came out visually okay. Not great. I was a little tired and it was getting late and I rushed it a bit in my anticipation of eating it. But the taste? OH MAN.
The taste alone made everyone crazy.
But did I mention I’m tired? Yeah. This time of year is kicking my ass. Between working & baking & decorating & blogging & family & this annoying cold I’ve been fighting off… let’s stick with pie.
BUTTERSCOTCH PIE WITH TOASTED MERINGUE (adapted from Adventures in Cooking)
Ingredients:
Pie crust:
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 7 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Filling:
- 3 eggs, divided (yolks in one bowl, whites in another)
- 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
Meringue:
- 3 egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Directions:
- Make the crust: This recipe will give you enough for JUST the bottom to be fully covered. If you have a food processor, mix the dry ingredients and butter until just crumbly, then slowly pour in the water and mix until combined. Knead into a ball with your hands and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for one hour or overnight. You can also do this by hand, I highly recommend using a pastry cutter/blender if you do. After one hour, roll it out on a lightly floured surface and place it in your pie plate. Trim the excess off the edges and pop it back in the fridge until your filling is ready.
- Preheat your oven to 375 F.
- Add 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar, butter and cream to a medium saucepan. Cook, whisking occasionally until butter is melted and it begins to boil. Meanwhile, using a whisk or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk the egg whites until they’re frothy on top. Set aside.
- Turn off heat under brown sugar mixture and let cool slightly. Add the milk, cornmeal, flour, salt, vanilla extract and remaining sugar. Turn the heat back on to low, and cook, stirring occasionally until hot- NOT boiling. Again, turn off heat.
- Add half of the brown sugar mixture to a heatproof bowl and add the egg yolks, whisking non-stop. Add this mixture back to the saucepan and add the egg whites. Whisk. The mixture should be much thicker at this point. Cook over the lowest heat setting, again whisking non-stop, and do NOT allow it to BOIL!
- Pour into your prepared pie crust and bake for 20 minutes. While it’s baking, make the meringue: add the egg whites and cream of tartar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat until the eggs hold a firm peak. Slowly whisk in the sugar and beat until they are glossy and hold their peaks stiffly.
- Remove the pie from the oven and add the meringue. You can make designs in it, or just plop it on. Keep in mind the highest points will toast more, so making little peaks or swirls can look awesome when it’s done.
- Bake another 15 minutes. Remove and let pie cool at least 30 minutes before serving. Keep refrigerated.
Let it be said: you CAN skip the meringue and serve this pie with whipped cream instead. That is totally acceptable.
I like to use dark brown sugar in my butterscotch, which is totally untraditional and not what most people do. But I like the richer, darker flavor. You can definitely substitute light brown and make it the normal way if you so choose. Butterscotch pie is a little bit different than just butterscotch pudding- I find the dark brown sugar gives it a little more oomph. More caramel-y.
I rushed through the meringue, which is silly, especially since it’s so east to make with a stand mixer. But I had to catch the light!
This butterscotch pie, when it’s still slightly warm, is heavenly. Truly heavenly.
Soundtrack: “Let the Mystery Be” – Iris DeMent
Sources & credits: Red plaid tablecloth; Threshold for Target, red Bakelite cutlery; vintage, cork trivet & red striped tea towel; Ikea, black pie plate; Longaberger, dessert plates; vintage Spode “Cowslip.”
I'm Marilla. A 30-something artist, hobby baker, home canning enthusiast, gardener, DIY-er, wife, mommy of a baby boy and dog mom (to another baby boy) from New York. 
This is a great tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere.
Brief but very precise info… Thank you for sharing this one.
A must read article!
Hi, everything is going perfectly here and ofcourse
every one is sharing information, that’s genuinely good, keep up writing.
My developer is trying to convince me to move to .net from
PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs.
But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using WordPress on several websites for about a year and am concerned about switching to another platform.
I have heard great things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress posts
into it? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
You are a very clever individual!
Fantastic items from you, man. I’ve consider your stuff prior to and you are just too great.
I actually like what you’ve bought right here, certainly like what you’re saying and the
way in which in which you say it. You’re making it enjoyable and you
still care for to stay it wise. I can’t wait to learn far more from you.
That is really a wonderful website.
I like the valuable info you provide for your articles.
I will bookmark your blog and take a look at again here frequently.
I’m somewhat sure I’ll be informed a lot of new stuff proper right
here! Good luck for the following!
Fantastic beat ! I would like to apprentice whilst you amend your site, how could i subscribe for
a weblog website? The account helped me a acceptable deal.
I were tiny bit acquainted of this your broadcast provided shiny transparent concept
Hi! This post couldn’t be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my old room mate!
He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this page to him.
Fairly certain he will have a good read. Many thanks
for sharing!
Valuable info. Fortunate me I discovered your site unintentionally, and I’m shocked why this accident did not happened in advance!
I bookmarked it.
For the reason that the admin of this site is working,
no hesitation very soon it will be well-known, due to its quality contents.
I couldn’t refrain from commenting. Very well written!
Hurrah! After all I got a weblog from where I know how to genuinely
get valuable information concerning my study and knowledge.
you’re truly a good webmaster. The site loading pace is amazing.
It seems that you’re doing any unique trick. Furthermore, The contents are masterpiece.
you have done a excellent activity in this subject!
When I originally commented I appear to have clicked on the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and from now on each time a comment is
added I recieve four emails with the exact same comment.
Is there an easy method you are able to remove me
from that service? Thank you!
Thank you, I’ve just been looking for information approximately
this subject for ages and yours is the best I’ve discovered so far.
But, what in regards to the conclusion? Are you positive concerning the source?
Sweet blog! I found it while searching on Yahoo News.
Do you have any tips on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for
a while but I never seem to get there! Appreciate it
What i don’t understood is in fact how you are not actually a lot more neatly-favored
than you may be right now. You are so intelligent.
You understand therefore significantly when it comes to this topic, made me in my opinion imagine it from
so many various angles. Its like men and women are not
fascinated until it’s something to do with Girl gaga!
Your personal stuffs nice. Always care for it up!
Yesterday, while I was at work, my sister stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop,
just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now broken and she has 83 views.
I know this is completely off topic but I had to
share it with someone!
I’m very happy to discover this web site. I need to to
thank you for ones time for this wonderful read!! I
definitely enjoyed every little bit of it and I have you
book-marked to look at new information on your website.
It’s the best time to make some plans for the long
run and it is time to be happy. I’ve read this submit
and if I may just I desire to counsel you some fascinating things or
tips. Perhaps you could write next articles referring to this article.
I desire to learn more issues about it!