The pie section in the recipe box is thick especially to somebody that makes pies once a year on Thanksgiving.

My grandmother's crust truly was the best. I've tried numerous recipes...cutting in butter, adding a splash of vinegar, chilling, etc. Why didn't I simply look in the recipe box for the Perfect Pie Crust? You will notice the brief instructions so a quick search yielded the appropriate baking temperature--and a discovery. My grandma's Perfect Pie Crust is also one of Alton Brown's recipes. Sorry, Alton, I think her recipe came first. His instructions are way more detailed, makes me smile.

This pie is my mother's all-time favorite. So, it was a perfect reason to make it on her birthday...a little gift from her mother and her daughter.

PERFECT PIE CRUST

Recipe makes enough for a double crust.

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup Crisco

1/2 cup cold water

Mix until flour, salt and Crisco until it resembles cornmeal. Add 1/2 cup water and stir. Roll out (in between parchment paper is best). [A few notes: The dough is moist so rolling out between parchment paper made it easy to work with. Put the dough between the parchment sheets in the freezer for a bit to make dough easier to work with. To bake, I covered with foil and filled bottom with pie weights, removed part way through to finish baking the crust until browned]. Bake at 400 degrees.

BUTTERSCOTCH CHIFFON PIE

1 baked 9" pie shell (1/2 recipe from above)

1 envelope plain gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

3 eggs, separated

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup scalded milk

2 T butter

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp burnt sugar flavoring

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup white sugar

Soak gelatin in water for 5 minutes; stir from time to time. Beat 3 egg yolks until thick and lemony, gradually beat in 1 cup brown sugar and scalded milk. Add butter, salt and cook over water [double boiler] until it coats back of spoon. [Stir constantly]. Stir in gelatin and cool. Add vanilla and burnt sugar flavoring. Beat egg whites until stiff; add white sugar gradually. Fold the egg whites into cooked custard, pour into shell and chill until firm.

Top with meringue if you wish!

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