Butterscotch Meringue Tart Recipes

AUNT JIMMY'S BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Make the Filling: In a large saucepan, combine the milk and cream and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Immediately remove from the heat and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in the brown sugar, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring constantly, until caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. (You'll smell a characteristic nutty caramel odor when the butter browns, signaling that the mixture is ready.)
• Whisking constantly, gradually add the butter/brown sugar mixture to the hot milk/cream mixture. If the mixture isn't smooth, blend for 20 seconds with a hand blender or pour through a fine sieve.
• Put the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk in about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture. Whisk in the cornstarch and salt until dissolved. Whisk the cornstarch mixture back into the hot milk mixture in the saucepan. Whisk in the Scotch.
• While whisking constantly, cook over medium-high heat until thick and just boiling. When the mixture thickens, the whisk will leave trail marks on the bottom of the pot and the mixture will have a few large bubbles boiling up to the top.
• Turn off the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Pour into the prebaked pie shell and set aside while you make the meringue.
• Make the Meringue: In a standing mixer fitted with a whip attachment, whip the whites in a clean dry bowl on low speed until foamy. Add the cream of tartar and continue whipping on medium speed until soft peaks are formed. Gradually pour in the sugar and continue whipping on high speed until stiff and glossy. Pile the meringue onto the pie and swirl to cover, spreading it to the edge. (Making sure it touches the edge.) Bake the pie until the meringue is lightly browned, about 15 to 20 minutes.
• Chill the pie, uncovered, at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

BUTTERSCOTCH PIE

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim to 1/2 in. beyond rim of plate; flute edge. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°., Line unpricked crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or uncooked rice. Bake on a lower oven rack until edge is light golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until bottom is golden brown, 3-6 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven setting to 350°., In a saucepan, melt butter. Remove from the heat; add flour and stir until smooth. Stir in brown sugar. Return to heat; stir in milk and salt until blended. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Stir about 1 cup hot filling into egg yolks; return all to pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in vanilla. Pour into crust., For meringue, beat egg whites and cream of tartar in a small bowl on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, on high until stiff glossy peaks form and sugar is dissolved. Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing edge to crust., Bake until meringue is golden brown, 12-15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.

BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE TART

Steps:

• For crust: Put butter, flour, sugar and ground hazelnuts in processor, process until mixture resembles coarse meal; add 2-3 tblsps ice water and the egg yolk and process using on/off turns until stiff dough forms; gather dough into a ball, flatten into a disk, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes; preheat oven to 400F; roll out and pastry to fit 8 inch-diameter tart pan and press in to fit bottom and sides; place a sheet of foil over crust and fill with dry beans or pie weights; bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, carefully remove foil and beans and bake 5 minutes longer; remove and cool.
• For filling: Mix cornstarch with sugar in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; slowly add the milk, whisking constantly, and cook until the cream thickens; remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes; whisk in butter, egg yolks and vanilla; pour cream into crust.
• For meringue: Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; add sugar and beat until stiff, but not dry, peaks form; cover cream filling with meringue, sealing to edge of pastry and make decorative peaks and swirls in meringue; sprinkle over 1 tblsp dark brown sugar and flaked almonds.
• Bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes, until meringue is a nice golden colour.

INDIVIDUAL BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE TARTS

Steps:

• For the pastry, beat the butter and icing sugar together until smooth. Push the hard-boiled egg yolk through a sieve and add this to the butter along with the raw egg yolk and vanilla. Add this to the butter mixture and stir until blended. Add the flour and salt to the butter mixture and stir until blended. Shape the dough into a cylinder (it will be very soft), wrap in plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
• Unwrap the chilled dough and slice it into 8 pieces. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each piece into a circle that is just under 1/4-inch (6 mm) thick and line eight ungreased 4-inch (10 cm) removable bottom fluted tart shells with each piece of pastry, pressing the dough into the shell and trimming away excess dough. Chill the tart shells for 30 minutes or until firm.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Place the tart shells on a baking tray, dock the bottoms of each shell with a fork and bake them for about 18 minutes, until the edges begin to brown a little. Cool the shells before filling.
• For the pudding, first make a butter caramel by placing the water and lemon juice in a medium saucepan and measure the sugar over top. Bring this to a boil over high heat without stirring and continue to boil, occasionally brushing the sides of the pot with cool water, until it turns a light amber colour (or if you like an intense caramel taste, let it go until a deeper amber). Remove the pot from the heat and carefully (watching out for steam) but quickly whisk in the butter until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla and salt. You may find the butter separates out as the caramel sits, but once cooled, it can be whisked back in and will remain blended.
• In another medium pot, whisk the brown sugar and cornstarch. Whisk in 2 cups (500 mL)of the milk, and have a bowl with the egg yolks ready, whisking the remaining ¼ cup (60 mL) of milk into them. Whisk the butter caramel into the egg yolks and set aside. Bring the pot with milk and sugar up to a full simmer on medium heat, whisking constantly (but vigorously is not necessary) until the mixture bubbles and has thickened. Slowly pour the pudding into the egg yolk mixture while constantly whisking the yolks, until at least half of the hot pudding has been mixed in (you can add all if you wish). Transfer the whole mixture back to the pot and continuing whisking on medium heat until bubbles just begin to break the surface. Pour the pudding through a strainer into a bowl and cover the surface of the pudding with plastic wrap. Cool for an hour and then chill completely, at least 2 hours.
• To assemble, whisk the chilled pudding a little and spoon this into the cooled tart shells. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar using electric beaters or in a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment on high speed until foamy. Stir the granulated and icing sugars together and pour these into the whites while whipping and continue to whip until the whites hold a medium peak when the beaters are lifted. Dollop the meringue onto each tart and bake for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Let the tarts cool on a rack and then chill until ready to serve.
• The tarts are best enjoyed that day they are assembled, although the crust and filling can be prepared a day or two ahead.

BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Bake pie crust as directed.
• Cool.
• Preheat oven to 400°F Mix flour and salt together in a small bowl.
• Add 2/3 cup milk and beat until smooth.
• Melt butter in a pot over medium heat: add brown sugar and cook until thick and fluffy.
• Add 1 1/2 cups milk all at once.
• Cook over medium heat until butterscotch dissolves.
• Stir a small amount into flour mixture.
• Add to cooked mixture in pot.
• Cook over medium heat until thick.
• Cook additional 5 minutes stirring constantly.
• Stir a small amount of hot mixture into beaten egg yolks.
• Add eggs to mixture in pot and cook stirring for 1 minute longer.
• Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
• Pour into baked, cooled shell.
• Prepare meringue and spread on filling.
• Bake for 5-7 minutes until meringue is lightly browned.
• MERINGUE: Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.
• Gradually add sugar, while beating.
• Pile gently onto pie filling.
• Bake.

BLOOD ORANGE BUTTERSCOTCH MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: On a lightly floured surface, and using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll pie dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan (not deep dish); fold the edges over and crimp them together. Prick crust all over with a fork and chill in freezer for 30 minutes until frozen. (Cover with plastic if freezing for longer than a few hours. Well wrapped, it will last in the freezer for up to a month.)
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line chilled crust with foil, fill with pie weights or dried rice, then bake for 12 minutes. Remove foil, lower oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until pale golden, 10 to 16 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack to cool while you prepare the filling. (Leave the oven on if baking the pie immediately.)
• In a heavy saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, egg and sugar. Stir in the orange and lemon juices, zest and salt. Add pieces of butter and cook, whisking constantly, over medium-low heat until the mixture thickens enough to coat a spoon, about 7 to 9 minutes. An instant-read thermometer should register 180 degrees. Inspect the filling: If you think there are any coagulated bits of egg, strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl.
• Pour filling into pie crust and return to the oven to bake until filling is set (it should jiggle only slightly in the center), about 18 to 40 minutes. (Pies prepared in glass and ceramic dishes can take much longer to bake than those prepared in metal dishes. Don't give up: The curd will eventually set.) Remove pie from oven and increase oven temperature to 400 degrees for baking the meringue.
• As the filling bakes, make the meringue: Fill a medium pot with 1 inch of water and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Using a large metal bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar and salt. Set the bowl with the egg white mixture into the pot above the water, and whisk constantly by hand until sugar dissolves and mixture is warm (160 degrees on an instant thermometer) and has thickened and lightened in color, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bowl from heat.
• Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-low speed and gradually increase speed to high, until mixture is thick, fluffy and stiff peaks form, about 5 to 8 minutes. Be careful not to overbeat.
• Spread the meringue over the hot filling, making sure it meets the edges of the crust. Using a knife or spatula, swirl in a design if you like, and bake until lightly browned, about 8 to 12 minutes.
• Allow to cool completely and top with more orange zest before serving.

BUTTERSCOTCH TARTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 5 five-inch rounds, and fit into 3-inch tart pans with removable bottoms. Prick bottoms with a fork. Place a second tart pan inside each dough-lined pan, and place them all on a baking sheet; bake 20 minutes. Remove top pans, and continue baking until light-golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove from oven, and allow to cool completely.
• Prepare butterscotch: In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg yolks; set aside. Pass brown sugar, flour, and salt through a medium sieve to remove any lumps. Transfer to a medium saucepan, and place over medium heat to melt sugar, whisking frequently. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring milk to a simmer. Whisk milk into melted sugar, and cook, whisking constantly until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 hot sugar mixture to beaten egg yolks, and whisk to combine. Whisk egg yolks into sugar mixture, and return to heat very briefly to cook the eggs and thicken slightly, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat, and whisk in butter. Pass mixture through a fine sieve.
• Prepare meringue: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until foamy, about 1 minute. Add granulated sugar, and beat until stiff.
• Pour butterscotch into baked shells. Mound meringue on top of tarts, and bake until meringue is browned, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 1 hour, before serving.

TOFFEE MERINGUE PIE

Steps:

• For the pastry, tip the flour into a bowl, then rub in the butter with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add 4-6 tbsp cold water, bit by bit, until a dough is formed. Knead briefly on a floured surface. Shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 mins.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Roll the pastry on a floured surface into a circle large enough to line a 25cm tart tin with a slight overhang. Cover with tin foil and fill with baking beans. Place on a baking tray and bake for 15 mins before carefully removing the foil and beans. Brush liberally with egg white, place the pastry case back in the oven for 10 mins or until golden, then remove from the oven and trim the edges. Turn the oven down to 150C/130C fan/gas 2.
• For the filling, melt the butter in a pan and stir in the sugar until dissolved completely. In a small bowl, add a little of the milk to the cornflour, working into a smooth paste. Pour remaining milk and cornflour paste into the butter mix, slowly bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 mins, stirring continuously. Leave to cool slightly. If you've only thought of meringue pie as the lemon kind, then think again. Try making my version with toffee - it involves a bit of work, but the result is spectacular Beating all the time with a whisk, pour ½ the milk mixture onto the egg yolks, then pour back into the rest of the milk. Stirring non-stop, bring to the boil and simmer for 2-3 mins until thick. Turn off the heat, but leave the mixture in the pan - it must be hot when topped with the meringue.
• For the meringue, whisk the egg whites until they are stiff. Sprinkle in half the sugar and whisk again until stiff and shiny, adding the remaining sugar, 1 tbsp at a time and whisking until stiff again. Spoon the hot filling into the pastry case. Spoon the meringue over the top and bake for 35 mins until the meringue is golden and crisping up. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before eating. Best eaten on the day.