Butterscotch Pie Recipes

Steps:

• In top of double boiler, combine brown sugar, cornstarch, salt and milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to thicken, about 20 minutes.
• Whisk in egg yolks; continue to cook and stir until filling is thickened.
• While pudding mixture is cooking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Remove filling from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla.
• Pour filling into prepared pie crust. Bake in preheated oven until top begins to brown, about 5 minutes.

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°., Line unpricked crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on a lower oven rack until edge is light golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until bottom is golden brown, 3-6 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven setting to 350°., In a saucepan, melt butter. Remove from the heat; add flour and stir until smooth. Stir in brown sugar. Return to heat; stir in milk and salt until blended. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir about 1 cup hot filling into egg yolks; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in vanilla. Pour into crust., For meringue, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a small bowl on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing edge to crust., Bake until meringue is golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, combine the milk and cream, and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside.
• In a large, heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Stir in the brown sugar, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly, to caramelize the mixture. (You will 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 is not 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. Add the scotch and whisk in.
• 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 pre-baked pie shell and chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours, or overnight.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the meringue top: Whip whites with the salt to soft peaks, then add sugar and whip until sugar is dissolved and whites are glossy. Spread meringue on top of the slightly cooled pie and bake for 5 minutes until lightly browned (cappuccino colored). Chill until ready to serve.
• In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), mix the flour, salt, and sugar for 1 minute. Add the butter and mix just until you have a crumbly, sandy mixture. You should still be able to see the pieces of butter.
• In a small bowl, stir the water and vinegar together. With the mixer running at medium speed, drizzle in the water-vinegar mixture and mix just until a dough forms. You should still see small bits of butter.
• Turn out onto a work surface, divide the dough in half, and shape into round, flat disks. Wrap separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before using. (Or, refrigerate up to 48 hours or freeze up to 1 month before using. If frozen, let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before rolling out.)
• When the time comes to roll out the dough, let the dough warm up for a few minutes at room temperature. Dust a work surface with just a few tablespoons of flour and keep some extra flour at hand. If you like, you can roll out the dough between two sheets of waxed paper (flouring the bottom sheet and the top of the dough before rolling), which makes it much easier to transfer to the pan later on. However, you won't be able to check the progress of the dough as easily. It's entirely up to you.
• Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough and start rolling outward from the center with quick, light strokes. Don't worry if the edges split a bit; concentrate on getting a good circle going from the center. Lift up and rotate the dough 1/4 turn every minute or so to help ensure even rolling. The dough should feel smooth and soft; some say it should feel like the inside of your forearm. If it gets sticky, sprinkle on a bit more flour, but don't do this more than two or three times; the dough will absorb too much flour. Instead, put it back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm the butter up. Keep rolling until the circle is at least 2 inches larger than your pan (for example, 11-inches wide for a 9-inch pie pan), or 3 inches larger for deep-dish pies.
• Set your pie or tart pan nearby. We always use heavy aluminum pans, because glass pans seem to bake the crust too fast. However, we know that the advantage of glass is that you can easily check the color of the crust. Again, it's up to you. Either choice will work.
• To transfer the crust to the pan, we find it easiest to roll a finished crust up onto the rolling pin, then gently unroll it in the pan. Or, you can fold it gently in quarters, lift it up, position the center point on the center of the pan, and unfold it into the pan. If using waxed paper, peel off the top layer, turn the crust gently into the pan, and peel off the remaining paper. Make sure that the dough is allowed to settle completely into the pan.
• Don't stretch and press the dough into the corners; stretched dough will likely shrink back when you bake it. Instead, lift the edges of the crust to let it settle down into the corners. If the dough tears a bit, don't be concerned; it will patch easily. Using scissors or a sharp knife, trim the dough to within 3/4-inch of the rim. Use any extra scraps to patch the crust, pressing with your fingers (wet them if necessary) or set aside.
• For a single-crust pie: Working around the rim, turn the crust under itself (not under the rim of the pan) to make a thick edge, pressing it firmly against the pan to reduce shrinkage. To decorate the rim, just press it all around with the back of a fork. For a slightly more advanced look, press the thumb and forefinger of one hand together. Use them to gently push the thick dough rim outward, while pushing inward with the forefinger of the other hand, so that they intersect in a "V" with the dough in between. Repeat all around the rim to make a wavy edge.
• Chill the finished crust or crusts for 20 to 30 minutes before filling the pie. When the bottom crust is filled, rest the top crust on top and pinch the edges together, turning them under all the way around. To decorate the rim, just press it all around with the back of a fork. For a slightly more advanced look, press the thumb and forefinger of one hand together. Use them to gently push the thick dough rim outward, while pushing inward with the forefinger of the other hand, so that they intersect in a "V" with the dough in between. Repeat all around the rim to make a wavy edge.
• For a prebaked pie or tart crust (blind baking): Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line the inside of the chilled crust with aluminum foil (don't turn it down over the rim, but leave the extra sticking up so that you have something to hold on to). Fill the foil all the way up to the top of the shell with pie weights or dried beans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, until dry and beginning to turn "blond". Lift the foil and weights out of the shell and bake another 10 to 15 minutes, checking frequently to prevent overbaking, until medium brown.
• Yield: 2 crusts
• Preparation time: 15 minutes plus rolling and shaping
• Cooking time: 30 minutes
• Ease of preparation: moderate
• Recipe courtesy Gale Gand, "Butter Sugar Flour Eggs" by Gale Gand, Rick Tramonto, Julia Moskin: Clarkson N. Potter Publishers, 1999

Steps:

• In a large bowl, mix pudding mix and milk according to package directions. Fold half of the whipped topping into pudding. Pour mixture into graham cracker crust. Spread remaining whipped topping on top of pudding layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
• Serve cold with a drizzle of butterscotch topping over top of pie. If desired, sprinkle butterscotch chips on top as well.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Stir brown sugar and butter in a saucepan until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Cook 2-3 minutes longer on low-medium heat, and then remove from fire.
• Beat egg yolks.
• In separate large bowl, mix flour with 1/2 of milk, until smooth. Then add beaten egg yolks and salt and mix well. Blend remaining milk with this mixture.
• Add flour mixture to saucepan with sugar/butter mixture and cook on low/medium heat until thickened (anywhere from 30-45 minutes), stirring CONSTANTLY.
• Remove from heat and blend in vanilla extract. Stir CONSTANTLY until well blended and slightly warm and then pour into a prepared (baked) 9" pie crust.
• Top pie with meringue (recipe to follow).
• After meringue is spread on top, Bake at 350° for 12 to 15 minutes, or until meringue is golden. Cool for 10-15 minutes.
• MERINGUE: 3 egg whites (reserved from pie filling recipe), 1/2 teaspoons vanilla, 1/4 teaspoons cream of tartar, 6 tablespoons granulated sugar.
• With a mixer, beat egg whites with vanilla and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar, beating until stiff and glossy peaks form and all sugar is dissolved.
• Spread meringue over slightly warm filling, sealing to edge of crust. (Then bake and cool as directed above.).

Steps:

• Mix the brown sugar, flour and salt in the top of a double boiler.
• Stir in the milk, add the butter and cook over simmering water, stirring, until thickened.
• Let cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Beat 2 egg yolks.
• Temper them with a little of the hot mixture, then stir them into the pudding.
• Cook 5 minutes longer.
• Remove from heat.
• Add the vanilla, then pour into the prepared pie shell.
• Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff, beating in the sugar a little at a time to make a meringue.
• Spread on top of pudding and brown in a 350*F oven for about 10 minutes or until golden.

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor) just until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Drizzle 3 tablespoons ice water evenly over mixture and gently stir with a fork (or pulse) until incorporated.
• Squeeze a small handful of dough: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1/2 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again. Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.
• Turn out mixture onto a work surface and divide into 4 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough together (with pastry scraper, if using) and press into a ball, then flatten into a 5-inch disk. If dough is sticky, dust lightly with additional flour. Chill dough, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate and trim, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold overhang under slightly. Crimp edge decoratively. Chill shell until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Lightly prick shell all over with a fork. Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is pale golden along rim and set underneath weights, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until bottom and side are golden, about 15 minutes more. Cool completely in pie plate on a rack, about 20 minutes.
• Make butterscotch filling:
• Bring corn syrup, 3/4 cup sugar, and 2 tablespoons water to a boil in a 11/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil mixture, without stirring, swirling pan occasionally, until it melts into a deep golden caramel, 7 to 9 minutes.
• Remove saucepan from heat and add butter, vinegar, and a pinch of salt, swirling pan until butter is melted. Add 1/3 cup cream and vanilla and simmer, stirring, 1 minute (sauce will be golden brown). Cool sauce to warm.
• While sauce is cooling, sprinkle gelatin over remaining 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan and let stand 1 minute to soften, then heat over low heat until dissolved. Stir into butterscotch sauce and cool to room temperature.
• Beat egg whites with a pinch of salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks, then add remaining tablespoon sugar and continue to beat until whites just hold stiff glossy peaks. Fold in butterscotch sauce gently but thoroughly.
• Beat remaining cream with cleaned beaters until it just holds stiff peaks, then fold into butterscotch mixture gently but thoroughly. Gently pour chiffon into cooled pastry shell, letting it mound, and chill, uncovered, until set, at least 2 hours.
• Make topping:
• Cook pecans in butter with salt in a small heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool nuts completely.
• Let pie stand at room temperature, about 30 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle cooled nuts over top of pie.