Brown Sugar Pie

Brown sugar pie is old-fashioned Southern baking at its simplest: a stovetop custard made from brown sugar, milk, egg yolks, cornstarch, butter, and vanilla, poured into a prebaked shell and topped with a billowy meringue that gets kissed golden in the oven.

The brown sugar gives this custard a deep, molasses-rich caramel flavor that white sugar can’t touch. Stirring constantly over medium heat is the only way to get a smooth, thick filling without scorching. When it bubbles and coats the back of a spoon, it’s ready.

The butter and vanilla stir in off the heat. Both are there for richness and aroma, and adding them to the hot custard lets them melt in without cooking off the vanilla’s fragrance.

Spread the meringue all the way to the crust edges. Any gaps between the meringue and the crust let steam escape and cause the meringue to shrink and weep.

Kitchen Tips

• Separate the eggs while cold, but let the whites come to room temperature before beating. Room temp whites whip to higher, more stable peaks.
• Add the granulated sugar to the whites gradually while beating. Dumping it in all at once deflates the foam.
• Watch the meringue closely in the oven. It goes from golden to burnt in about a minute.

Variations

• Top with whipped cream instead of meringue for a simpler, no-bake finish.
• Add a teaspoon of bourbon to the custard for a boozy, caramel-forward twist.
• Sprinkle toasted pecans over the meringue before baking for a praline-topped version.