November 24, 2019
My family is traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving dinner. There must be roast turkey, dressing made using my grandma’s recipe, the cranberry sauce my aunt made every year, and my mom’s pumpkin pie. A few additions have snuck in over the past few years. My sister makes a green bean casserole using Julia Child’s mushroom soup recipe as the base, which makes the canned soup version pale in comparison. This Butterscotch Bourbon Pie has been my contribution to the dessert table these past few years, becoming a new required tradition.
The first time I made this pie, I stopped at the grocery store at 6:00 a.m. on my way home from the gym. It was the day before Thanksgiving and I was pleased with myself for getting last minute ingredients before the rush of last minute shoppers that evening. I went to the self-checkout lane and scanned the bottle of bourbon I needed to make Butterscotch Bourbon Pie. The scanner set off the alarm for an attendant’s approval and she came over to stop the beeping.
Before she even scanned her identification, she briskly snatched the bottle of bourbon from my hand, saying, “You can’t buy alcohol before 7 a.m.” With that, she turned and walked away, squashing my glee of finishing my shopping early with her public shaming. She didn’t deter me from going to another store, much later in the day, to fight through the chaos to buy the bourbon I needed to make this pie though. This pie is always worth an extra trip to the grocery store.
Happy Thanksgiving! I am grateful to you for following this corner of the internet I am shaping to be mine. I hope this pie finds it’s way onto your Thanksgiving table and establishes itself as part of your annual tradition as well.
Butterscotch Bourbon Pie
This recipe is adapted from the cookbook, magpie, which was also the name of the author’s Philadelphia pie shop until it closed in 2018. I highly recommend this book if you are as big a pie fan as my family. The cookbook is full of unique pie flavor combinations and carefully written instructions which won’t let you fail.
1 pie crust (see Butter Pie Crust recipe below)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 tablespoon bourbon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
Lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream for serving
Roll out the pie dough and place in a 9-inch pie pan, crimping the edges. Refrigerate.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the butter, brown sugar, and egg yolks in a large bowl. Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment or a hand mixer, blend on low for several minutes until very light and creamy. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally throughout.
Add the flour and salt. Mix until no white streaks remain (approximately 1 - 2 minutes). The mixture should resemble wet sand.
Add bourbon, vanilla, and lemon juice. Continue mixing on low until well combined, about 2 minutes more.
Add the evaporated milk slowly, while mixing on low speed for 2 minutes. Continue to scrape down the sides to ensure everything is incorporated. Mixture will be a smooth and liquid consistency.
Clean the paddle or hand mixer whisks to remove any trace of batter. In a smaller bowl, beat the egg whites to medium-soft peaks.
Gently fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the filling, lightening the mixture. Continue to fold the remaining whipped egg whites, 1/3 at a time. You want to be sure no white streaks remain but don’t overmix. The top should be foamy and the bottom should be liquid.
Place the pie shell onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Carefully pour the filling into the pie shell and transfer to the preheated oven.
Bake for 45 minutes. The top will be deeply brown and puffed and the center still slightly loose if you jiggle the pan a little.
Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack to room temperature. The pie will sink as it cools. Chill overnight (at least 12 hours) or up to 3 days. This is important to allow the filling to set. Serve with softly whipped cream.
Butter Pie Crust
Makes 2, 9-inch pie crusts
Adapted from Carla Hall’s original pie crust recipe.
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt, or 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt
1/3 cup water
2 sticks cold, unsalted butter (cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
In a measuring cup, add the salt and sugar to the water and stir to dissolve. Refrigerate until very cold, about 30 minutes. Measure flour into a food processor with the blade and place the bowl of the food processor in the fridge for about 30 minutes as well.
Pulse the butter in the flour a few times to break up the butter and coat with flour. Add the water and continue pulsing just until the dough starts to come together.
Divide the dough in half and place each half on a square of plastic wrap. Using the plastic wrap, gather into a 1-inch disk. The disk shape will help with rolling out the dough later. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Proceed with rolling the dough according to pie recipe. Dough can be stored in the fridge for a day, and double wrapped in plastic in the freezer for up to 3 months.
