This is the family recipe handed down to me from my Granny. It was very vague ingredients, no times and no temps. It’s also not like any recipe for a pie I’ve been able to find, though I’m sure someone out there has seen something like this. Thought I would share here as I feel like I’ve finally got it down.
This is a butterscotch pie. You basically make a caramel, then pour milk into that to make a custard, then pour into a pie crust and it sets up.
You’ll need a pie crust, and meringue, but there are lots of recipes out there for those. The filling is the special ingredient here.
Recipe for single pie
Milk Mixture
- 2 cups milk
- 2 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup flour
Whisk all these together and set aside
Caramel Recipe
- 2 cups dark brown sugar
- 2tbsp butter
- 4tbsp milk
Put these in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat, stirring constantly use a candy thermometer to track the temp up to 340f – 350f. The caramel will smell slightly overdone but this is what you want. The desert should have a bite to the flavor as I am told.
Once it’s up to temp pour in the milk mixture. The caramel will immediately seize up! You’ll think you ruined it and your pot, but it’s OK! Keep whisking and the caramel will start to melt into the liquid. I keep the heat on at this point as it seems to help the process. Once fully incorporated you’ll have a thick sauce in the pot.
Pour into your pie shell and let it cool for a bit. Top with meringue and brown then chill in the fridge. Should be ready to go in a few hours. Once set up it should hold shape like a pecan pie. You can slice it and serve without it spilling out of shape. If you don’t cook the caramel long enough, or don’t get the right flour in the milk mixture your custard will come out too runny.
This is just from my experimenting and I hope it helps. I was told this came to America with my ancestors from England in the 1800s. Who knows how true it is, but there has been no written recipe to date and has only been handed down through the family. I’m honored to receive this and carry on the tradition of the family butterscotch pie!
*Edit – The recipe amounts on the photos are doubled since I made two pies. This recipe however is for one pie. If you want to make two just double it!
Leave a Reply