By Magalí Zaslabsky
Last week was Thanksgiving in the United States, and in only three weeks we will be celebrating Christmas. This time of the year, pie is the chosen dessert in American homes. The classics are apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie… which I don’t really enjoy. So, after two years of going to Thanksgiving parties and not liking the dessert options, I decided to find a pie option that I could eat. The first one, which turned out to be a real success among friends and family, is the yummy butterscotch meringue pie, an inspiration from Wilton’s Instagram account (which you should follow if you don’t already!).
This pie is very simple to make and these are the instructions:
Prepare the crust. In the U.S. we can buy all types of pie crusts in the supermarket. In this case, I decided to use the shortbread type. Here is a good recipe in case you can’t buy one in the store.
Make the butterscotch filling and meringue
Ingredients
For the butterscotch:
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup cold water
2 cups milk
¼ cup cornstarch
1 cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)
For the meringue:
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons meringue powder (or follow instructions for making meringue)
Step 1
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolk and cornstarch until mixture is well-combined.
Step 2
In a large saucepan, combine the sugar, heavy cream and butter. Cook over medium heat stirring until the mixture boils. This will take approximately 5 to 8 minutes.
Stir in the milk.
Step 3
To the previous mixture (sugar, egg and cream), add ½ cup of brown sugar mixture and whisk until it is well combined. Then, add egg mixture to the remaining brown sugar mixture and return to heat. Continue to cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens, which can take about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat once it has thickened and add vanilla and salt. Mix and pour the mixture into the prepared pie crust. Cool it to room temperature, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Step 4
Prepare the meringue topping. I used the meringue powder from Wilton, but you can also prepare a regular Italian meringue recipe. I recommend you prepare it once the pie is ready to be served. For a prettier appearance, blowtorch the meringue.
Try it, you won’t regret it!