Miss Rosella Sutton's Butterscotch Pie

This historic recipe by Miss Rosella Sutton is from the cookbook “Meandering Memories Merge – 1873 – 1973 – Watford Family Favourites” – donated by Watfordites – edited by Alma McLean, Debbie Caley, and Gail Thrower.

Rosella was born in Watford, Lambton County, Ontario on 21 May 1901 to Robert Nicholas and Nancy Alberta (Higgins) Sutton. She passed away on 31 May 1993 and was laid to rest with her parents Robert and Nancy and her sisters Nellie and Marjory Sutton at Saint James Cemetery, Watford.

Rosella Sutton (1901–1993) was the second daughter of Robert and Nancy (Higgins) Sutton. At an early age, she went to live with her mother’s sister and her husband, John and Ann King, who had no children of their own. Rosella never married. She was employed in the Watford Post Office as assistant postmistress for most of her life. In her early eighties, an illness forced the amputation of her leg just above her knee, requiring her to move to the Watford Quality Care Centre. Rosella remembered the Maxmobile as it went up the 4th Line one Sunday morning. She and her parents were coming to town in the horse and buggy. The horse was very scared as the car came toward them. Mrs. Maxwell was sitting straight up in the car with her duster, a linen coat and a veil over her head flying out (Watford Historical Society Collection).

Miss Rosella Sutton will long be remembered in many homes for gifts of jams, jellies, salads, cookies and her huge butter tarts, when trouble or sickness came. Although her fondest memory of childhood food was the thick juicy steaks they had on their plates, she also remembers her mother’s Butterscotch Pie. Here is her own version of it.

Miss Rosella Sutton's Butterscotch Pie 

Filling: Melt butter in skillet, add sugar and cream. Bring to boil and cook for four minutes stirring constantly. Scald 1 cup milk. Mix together cornstarch, flour, and salt. Stir in gradually the remaining 1 cup of cold milk. Stir until smooth. Add the scalded milk to the brown sugar mixture; then add the cornstarch and flour mixture. Cook until thickened stirring constantly. Separate eggs, beat yolks slightly and add a little of the pudding mixture to the yolks. Then stir the yolks into pudding mixture. Cook two or three minutes or until completely thickened, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and vanilla and cool. Pour into cooled pie shell.

Meringue: Use 3 egg whites (room temperature) allowing 2 tablespoons sugar for each egg white. Beat whites until foamy. Add 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar (3 egg whites) and add sugar gradually, a tablespoon at a time, beating until the whites stand up in peaks with tips just bending over. Spread on cooled filling. Making sure the Meringue touches the edge of the crust.

Bake in a slow oven (325 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes) or until nicely browned.