Mmmmmmm. This is the quintessential old fashioned dessert.​ Who doesn't love pie? And the creamy, delicate, velvety butterscotch filling is comfort food supreme. Add billowy meringue and you've got a classic worthy of special occasions, yet easy enough for a Sunday dinner.

 

* My filling recipe isn't the typical and time-consuming "heat the milk & sugar, temper the eggs in some of the filling, pour the filling back in blah blah blah". This one is very simple.

 

* Be sure to muss your hair a little & smear some flour on your face when you present this and bask in the admiration....no one but you and me has to know it really isn't that hard.  

 

Pastry for 9" Pie (recipe follows)

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter

3 cups whole milk

3 egg yolks (if you're making meringue, save the whites at room temp.)

1/4 cup cornstarch

dash table salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

Meringue (recipe follows) or

Whipped cream for topping

 

Meringue pies are made in 3 stages: preparing & baking the pastry, cooking the filling, and making the meringue. Once you break it down, it's not so daunting.

 

Prepare pastry: this makes enough for 2 pies (1 crust each) go ahead and prepare both crusts. Use one crust and save the other in the fridge for another pie later.

 

Pastry crust:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

6 oz. (3/4 cup) vegetable shortening

approximately 6 tablespoons ice water

Sift the flour into the bowl of your food processor with the metal blade attachment in place. Add salt and sugar. Pulse a few times until the dry ingredients are blended. Cut the shortening into bits (approx. teaspoonfuls) and drop onto the dry ingredients. Pulse 5 or 6 times, just a couple of seconds for each pulse, just until the pastry resembles coarse crumbs. Add the ice water through the tube, one spoonful at a time, while pulsing. As with the dry ingredients, only pulse 5 or 6 times, adding only enough water to just begin bringing the pastry dough together. Stop pulsing before it cleans the bowl and becomes a solid mass. 

 

Turn the pastry dough out onto a board dusted with flour and bring together with your hands. Handle the dough just like a snowball....gently packing it together. Handle the dough as little as possible. Shape it into a disk about 8 inches or so in diameter. Wrap well in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough from the plastic wrap, cut in half, and put one half back in the fridge to use within 7 days. Coat a rolling pin with flour, and roll out the pastry dough half into a circle, about 12 inches in diameter. Loosely roll the dough around the rolling pin and carefully place the dough circle on top of a 9 inch pie pan, unrolling and settling it downwell. Trim the edge to 1/2 inch past the rim of the pie pan and roll the edge under, making it even with the rim, then crimp the edge decoratively. Use a fork to prick holes in the bottom and sides of the crust to keep it from puffing up during baking. (Do this only with pie crusts which are baked before they are filled). Place in the center of the oven and bake for 14 - 17 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven. You may begin the filling while the crust bakes.

 

Make the filling: 

In a heavy-bottomed medium sized saucepan add the butter and brown sugar and cook over medium heat, stirring very frequently until they are both melted and bubbling. Allow to bubble 1 minute. Turn the heat off and remove the pan from the burner.

 

Place the milk and egg yolks in a medium bowl and blend well with a whisk or wire whip. Add in the cornstarch and salt. Whisk until all ingredients are incorporated. 

 

Pour the milk mixture into the pan with the brown sugar mixture. Turn the heat to medium. Using a whisk or whip, stir well (the brown sugar mixture will seem hard, maybe even crunchy....not to worry, this is normal). Keep stirring and it will soften and blend. 

 

Cook over medium heat (no higher) until bubbling, stirring very frequently with the whisk. Continue to scrape the bottom and the sides to prevent sticking and separating. Boil 1 minute. Remove from the heat and add in the vanilla. Immediately pour into the baked crust.

 

* If you're using whipped cream for the topping:

Place cling wrap on the top of the pie, pressing lightly to seal. This prevents a "skin" from forming on the filling. Refrigerate until well chilled, remove the cling wrap. Either spread whipped cream on top, or serve sliced with a dollop of whipped cream on each slice.

 

* If you're making meringue: 

Good for you! You can do this. Make the meringue immediately after pouring in the filling....it needs to go on while the filling is hot.

 

3 egg whites leftover from the filling

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

 

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the egg whites in the bowl of your mixer, mix on medium speed until they are foamy. Continue to beat on medium and add in the sugar, a little at a time. When the egg whites are beginning to become frothy and turn white, add in the cream of tartar. Increase the speed to the highest setting and whip until the meringue is glossy and stiff. (You'll know it's ready when you stop the mixer, lift out the beaters, and the meringue holds the peaks up stiffly). 

 

Spread the meringue on top of the hot filling, bringing it to the edge of the crust, making it actually touch the crust (this seals the meringue and keeps it from weeping). Make decorative swirls or peaks on top if you wish.

 

Place the meringue-topped pie on a cookie sheet and place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 13 - 15 minutes, until it is golden brown. Refrigerate until well chilled. Serves 6 - 8.