Bourbon Butterscotch Pie

Rich with butterscotch flavor and infused with a shot of bourbon, this pie is topped with a billowy meringue, then served with a drizzle of buttery caramel sauce. It’s guaranteed to steal the show at autumn gatherings. The recipe calls for 16 egg yolks—you’ll use some of the whites for the meringue topping, but don’t toss the rest! They’ll keep in the refrigerator for up to two days and can be frozen for several months. Use them for making everything from more meringues and frostings to frothy cocktails.

Ingredients:

  • All-purpose flour for dusting
  • 1 batch Basic Pie Dough

  • For the filling:
  • 2 1/2 cups (20 fl. oz./625 ml) plus 3 1/2 Tbs. heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 vanilla beans, split and seeds scraped, seeds and pods reserved
  • 7 1/2 Tbs. (3 3/4 oz./115 g) unsalted butter 
  • 1 1/2 cups (11 oz./320 g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 16 egg yolks
  • 1/4 cup (1 oz./28 g) plus 2 Tbs. cornstarch
  • 2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 3 Tbs. plus 2 1/4 tsp. bourbon
  • 2 1/4 tsp. fresh lemon juice


For the meringue:

  • 5 egg whites
  • 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
  • 1/2 cup (3 1/2 oz./99 g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

  • Caramel sauce for drizzling

Directions:

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 14-inch (35-cm) round. Transfer to a 9-inch (23-cm) pie dish and fit the dough into the dish. Trim the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch (12-mm) overhang. Fold under the excess dough and, using your thumb, decoratively flute the edges. Pierce the bottom of the crust all over with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C).

Line the chilled piecrust with aluminum foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the bottom of the crust just begins to color, 10 to 15 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Keep the oven set at 350°F (180°C).

Meanwhile, prepare the filling: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream and vanilla bean seeds and pods and bring to a gentle simmer. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove the vanilla bean pods and discard.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the milk solids are golden and have a nutty fragrance, about 6 minutes (watch carefully so it doesn’t burn). Stir in 3/4 cup (5 1/2 oz./160 g) of the brown sugar and the cream mixture, then remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, cornstarch, salt and the remaining 3/4 cup (5 1/2 oz./160 g) brown sugar until well blended. Add the warm cream mixture, 1/4 cup (2 fl. oz./60 ml) at a time, to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly, then pour the mixture into the large saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 6 to 8 minutes.

Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean large bowl. Stir in the bourbon and lemon juice. Pout the filling into the crust.

Bake until the edges of the pie are set but the center jiggles slightly, 25 to 30 minutes, covering the edges of the crust with aluminum foil if it browns too quickly. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

To make the meringue, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat on medium speed until foamy, about 2 minutes. Increase the speed to medium-high and slowly add the granulated sugar. Beat until soft peaks form and the egg whites are shiny and glossy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat until the egg whites are glossy and hold stiff peaks, about 1 minute more.

Preheat a broiler to high. Pipe or spread the meringue over the lemon curd filling so that it completely covers the pie. Place the pie under the broiler until the meringue is lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Alternatively, using a kitchen torch according to the manufacturer’s instructions, lightly brown the meringue.

Cut the pie into slices, drizzle with caramel sauce and serve. Serves 8 to 12.

Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen