Butterscotch Meringue Pie Southern Living Recipes

BUTTERSCOTCH PIE WITH WHISKEY CARAMEL SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Prepare the Piecrust: Pulse flour, granulated sugar, salt, and butter pieces in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse sand. While pulsing, add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, through food chute, just until mixture can be pressed together with fingertips. Form dough into a disk, and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Unwrap dough, and roll into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Fit piecrust into a 9-inch pie pan, and trim, allowing 1/2 inch to extend over edge. Fold edge under, and crimp. Freeze 15 minutes.
• Line piecrust with parchment paper, and fill completely with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in preheated oven until the crust is set and edge is light brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven; remove weights and parchment. Return to oven, and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. (If necessary, shield edges with aluminum foil after 10 minutes to prevent excessive browning.) Remove piecrust from oven, and cool completely on a wire rack, about 1 hour.
• Prepare the Caramel Sauce: Bring granulated sugar and water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high. Cook, without stirring, until mixture is a deep amber color, about9 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a long-handled whisk and shielding hands from the steam, gradually whisk in cream until smooth. Whisk in whiskey and salt, and cool 30 minutes. (Mixture will thicken as it cools.) Store cooled Caramel Sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
• Prepare the Filling: Whisk together egg yolks, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup of the half-and-half in a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Stir together brown sugar, salt, and remaining 1 1/2 cups half-and-half in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high, and remove from heat. Slowly whisk hot brown sugar mixture into egg yolk mixture; return mixture to saucepan. Cook over medium-high, whisking constantly and making sure to reach all points in the bottom of the saucepan, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil, whisking constantly, 1 minute. (Mixture will be very thick and smooth.) Remove from heat, and whisk in butter pieces, whiskey, and vanilla. Cool 30 minutes. Spoon filling into cooled piecrust. Chill until filling is firm and cold, about 4 hours.
• Prepare the Topping: About 1 hour before serving, beat heavy cream and powdered sugar with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, 3 to 5 minutes. (Do not overbeat.) Spread whipped cream over pie filling; chill 1 hour. Drizzle Caramel Sauce over pie.

BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Whisk together the cornstarch, salt, whole milk, and egg yolks until smooth. Set aside convenient to the stove.
• In a heavy saucepan, melt the butter.
• Add the brown sugar and stir together until all the sugar is moistened.
• Cook over medium heat until the butter/sugar mixture is boiling, stirring frequently with a long-handled wooden spoon or heat-resistant spatula.
• As soon as the butter/sugar mixture barely starts to smoke, carefully pour in the heavy cream. It will bubble up and spatter. The sugar will seize up into a hard mass. Worry not. Continue to cook and stir, switching to a whisk to make things a bit easier, until the sugar melts back into the cream.
• Once the mixture is smooth again, pour about half of it into the egg mixture, whisking all the while. Then pour the egg mixture back into the pan.
• Cook over medium to medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Do not slack on this part, or the pudding will not set up correctly. 2 full minutes. Set a timer.
• Strain the pudding through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl. Stir in the vanilla. Fill the prepared pie shell so it is full up to the crimped edge. Set aside for a few minutes while you make the meringue.
• In a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water, whisk the whites, salt, and brown sugar together until all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is very hot--about 165F.
• Remove the bowl from the heat and beat on medium speed with a hand mixer until the mixture thickens somewhat and lightens in color.
• Add the vanilla and beat on high speed until the tips of the meringue just curl over a bit at the ends when you hold the beaters upright.
• Dollop the finished meringue onto the pie filling and carefully spread it out so it completely covers the filling and meets the crust all the way around.
• Using an offset spatula, press it onto the meringue and then lift straight up to make swoops and peaks if you'd like.
• Place under the broiler, watching it carefully, or use a torch to brown your meringue. Chill overnight before serving. Share. Or don't. Enjoy!

BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Bake pie crust as directed.
• Cool.
• Preheat oven to 400°F Mix flour and salt together in a small bowl.
• Add 2/3 cup milk and beat until smooth.
• Melt butter in a pot over medium heat: add brown sugar and cook until thick and fluffy.
• Add 1 1/2 cups milk all at once.
• Cook over medium heat until butterscotch dissolves.
• Stir a small amount into flour mixture.
• Add to cooked mixture in pot.
• Cook over medium heat until thick.
• Cook additional 5 minutes stirring constantly.
• Stir a small amount of hot mixture into beaten egg yolks.
• Add eggs to mixture in pot and cook stirring for 1 minute longer.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Pour into baked, cooled shell.
• Prepare meringue and spread on filling.
• Bake for 5-7 minutes until meringue is lightly browned.
• MERINGUE: Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.
• Gradually add sugar, while beating.
• Pile gently onto pie filling.
• Bake.

AUNT JIMMY'S BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Make the Filling: In a large saucepan, combine the milk and cream and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately remove from the heat and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the brown sugar, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, until caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. (You'll smell a characteristic nutty caramel odor when the butter browns, signaling that the mixture is ready.)
• Whisking constantly, gradually add the butter/brown sugar mixture to the hot milk/cream mixture. If the mixture isn't smooth, blend for 20 seconds with a hand blender or pour through a fine sieve.
• Put the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture. Whisk in the cornstarch and salt until dissolved. Whisk the cornstarch mixture back into the hot milk mixture in the saucepan. Whisk in the Scotch.
• While whisking constantly, cook over medium-high heat until thick and just boiling. When the mixture thickens, the whisk will leave trail marks on the bottom of the pot and the mixture will have a few large bubbles boiling up to the top.
• Turn off the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour into the prebaked pie shell and set aside while you make the meringue.
• Make the Meringue: In a standing mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip the whites in a clean dry bowl on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue whipping on medium speed until soft peaks are formed. Gradually pour in the sugar and continue whipping on high speed until stiff and glossy. Pile the meringue onto the pie and swirl to cover, spreading it to the edge. (Making sure it touches the edge.) Bake the pie until the meringue is lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Chill the pie, uncovered, at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.