Butterscotch Meringue Pie

Shout out: I would like to thank my neighbor, Kim, for awakening me to my deficiencies in dessert making. I didn't know I sucked at desserts until I met her.
It shouldn't be this way for me! My love for cooking started with a dessert. I remember baking my first cherry pie for my first boyfriend (sigh) because one day he mentioned he liked them. But a lot has changed, and now desserts and I, well...bleh. So I am facing the issue head on, and this week I am taking on a dessert a day. Failure is unacceptable.
I couldn't believe it when this pie came out perfect on the first try, and given my track record I am positive that this is entirely due to the genius of Paula Deen. I humbly worship at the food altar that is Paula Deen. I LOVE YOU PAULA!!!!!
What is nice about this recipe is that it breaks naturally down into three parts: crust, butterscotch filling, and “mile high” meringue top. I recommend making everything in that order for the smoothest pie making experience. Paula doesn’t provide a crust recipe, she suggests using a store bought. I say, why sell out if you already have plenty of Crisco and flour at home? I think the store bought crusts have a funky taste.

Recipe from: Cooking With Paula Deen magazine, May/June 2010
Crust Recipe from: the New Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book, 12th edition

Makes 1 (9 inch) pie
Cook time: 1 hour-ish

For the Crust (pastry for single crust pie):
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt. Using a pastry blender (aka, fork) cut in shortening until pieces are pea-sized.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of water over part of the flour mixture; gently toss with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat moistening flour mixture, using 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until all the flour mixture is moistened. Form dough into a ball.
On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten dough. Roll dough from center to edges into a circle about 12 inches in diameter. To transfer pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin. Unroll pastry into a 9 inch pie plate, and try to do so with out stretching it. Trim and crimp edges.

Line the pastry with a double thickness of tin foil. Bake in oven, covered, for 8 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5 to 6 minutes more or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Reduce oven temp to 325.

For the Butterscotch Filling:
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 ½ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons corn starch
- 2 ½ cups whole milk *(I never have whole milk on hand, so I used 2 cups 2% and ½ cup heavy cream)
- 4 egg yolks, lightly beaten *(save egg whites in a second large bowl for meringue)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:
In a large heavy saucepan, combine sugars and cornstarch (careful, the cornstarch will fluff everywhere, so whisk gently). Stir in milk and egg yolks.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wire whisk, until mixture comes to a boil. (It will take a while for the mixture to come to a boil over medium heat, but be patient. An seriously, don’t leave that sauce pan. Once it starts heating up the process goes really fast, and you wont notice the filling come to a boil at first unless you are stirring.) Boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Pour mixture into prepared pie crust.

Quickly move on to meringue. You want the filling to still be nice an hot when you top it with the meringue.

For the Meringue:
- 5 egg whites at room temperature (your 4 reserved from the butterscotch filling, plus one more)
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 10 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (Paula recommends clear vanilla extract to keep the meringue really white, but other than that there is no difference)

In a metal or glass bowl, beat egg whites at a high speed with a mixer until frothy.

Add cream of tartar, and beat egg whites until soft peaks form (when you lift the beaters from the beaten egg whites, the peaks will stand up straight and then fall over, mixture will still be slightly frothy.)Gradually add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating at a high speed for 2 to 4 minutes or until stiff peaks form and sugar dissolves.

Add vanilla, beating just until blended.


Finish the Pie: 
Using the back of a spoon, spread meringue over hot filling, sealing to edge of pie crust.

Bake for 23 minutes.

Cool completely on a wire rack. Store in refrigerator.