Baking pies with my mother, Linda Bland, is one of my favorite childhood memories, and I was happy to pass that tradition down to my own children.
My mother could make just about any pie taste wonderful. She rarely needed a recipe, instead baking from memory with a dash of this, a pinch of that, and the kind of instinct that only comes from years spent in the kitchen.
Of all the pies she made, though, our favorite was always her butterscotch pie. It was rich, creamy, and topped with a beautiful meringue that seemed to stand two inches high and somehow came out perfectly every single time.
Some recipes are more than just ingredients on a page. They remind us of home, family, and the people we love. That’s why we wanted to share this special recipe with our GreeneScene readers.
If you enjoy baking, give Linda’s butterscotch pie a try and share a little of that homemade goodness with your own family.
And if you’d rather let someone else do the baking, stop by The Denny House on October 22 from 5–9 p.m. and order a slice. It just might be the best butterscotch pie you’ve ever tasted.
Pam Marisa, Linda Bland, Sandy Wilson
Butterscotch
- 1 cup of brown sugar
- 1/3 cup of flour
- ½ tsp of salt
- 3 cups of milk
- 3 egg yolks (whites reserved)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbs of butter
- Combine milk, brown sugar, cornstarch, and salt: In the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken, about 20 minutes.
- Whisk in the egg yolks; cook, stirring: until the filling thickens.
Remove filling from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. - Pour filling into baked crust.
Pie Crust
- 2 cups of flour
- 2/3 cup of Butter or
Butter Crisco - 1 tsp of salt
- ½ cup of cold water
- Combine flour and butter: In a medium bowl, add 2 cups of flour and salt. Use a fork to combine. Scatter the Crisco/cold butter cubes over the flour, then briefly mix with a fork cut the butter into the flour until the mixture has a course texture.
- Add water and bring the dough together:
Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of cold water over it, then use a rubber spatula/hand to press the dough into itself. The crumbs should start to form larger clusters. - Roll the dough: Using your rolling pin, roll the dough, turning it a quarter turn after every other roll, until you have a circle about 12 inches in diameter (perfect for a 9-inch pie dish).
- Transfer to the pie dish: Move the dough to your pie dish, press the dough down into the dish making sure it lines the bottom.
- Crimp the edges: To crimp, press the pointer finger of one hand against the inside of the dough while gently pressing with the knuckles of your other hand from the outside
Meringue
- 3 reserved egg whites
- ¼ tsp of cream of tartar
- ½ tsp of vanilla
- Pinch of salt
- 6 Tbsp of white sugar
- Beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt in a large glass or metal bowl until foamy. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in the remaining 6 tablespoons of sugar until soft peaks form. Mix until stiff, glossy peaks form. Spread the meringue over the hot pie filling, sealing it to the crust. Brown in the oven as desired.
Grandaughter Erica (Blaker) Heitz
