When I was in high school, more years ago than I care to divulge, students were not allowed to leave the campus for lunch. That never stopped a group of crazy, hungry teenage girls who really disliked cafeteria food. A five-minute drive away stood a little diner serving meat and three veggies to one and all. The Sylvan Park Diner in Nashville, Tennessee, was known far and wide for their wonderful pie. While chocolate meringue was most likely their most popular, my favorite was the butterscotch pie served only on Thursdays.
Years later, I tried numerous times to duplicate that dessert and while I never truly succeeded, the following recipe comes close. Of course, it would help if I made my own pie crust, as the diner did, but it is not a skill at which I excel. Whether you make your own crust or not, this is a darned good pie!
By the way we girls, two of whom passed away in recent years, who enjoyed several of those “illegal” lunches away from school at our favorite diner were eventually caught and paid for our “crime” with a week of after-school detention. But it was fun while it lasted!
SYLVAN PARK DINER’S BUTTERSCOTCH PIE
(Or Something Close to it!)
1 baked pie crust
3 eggs, separated
2 cups light brown sugar
1 stick butter
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
6 tablespoons white sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
Pinch of Cream of Tartar
2 cups milk
Mix brown sugar, cornstarch and flour together. Add milk, stirring constantly. Cook in double boiler til mixture begins to thicken. When it gets to the point where the filling will “stand up,” very slowly, while constantly stirring, add well-beaten egg yolks and the stick of butter. (if not stirred constantly, eggs will become scrambled eggs in your pie filling.) Remove from heat and allow to cool. Make meringue by beating egg whites until they start to foam. Add white sugar gradually and the cream of tartar – beating all the while. Pour butterscotch filling into baked pie crust and cover with meringue, spreading over top of pie completely. Brown the meringue in a 350 degree oven for 5-6 min. Allow to cool before cutting.
