Archives for December 2011

It’s National Pie Day!  Yes, pie has it’s own special day.  How fun is that?  I used this special day as inspiration to try a pie that I’ve heard a lot about but that I’ve never tried myself.  Buttermilk pie.  Have you heard of it?  I’m sure most of you have, and I’m sure a lot of you have even had one. 

If you are still unsure about this pie, here is a bit more information.  This is a pie that has been around for generations, and it’s a traditional southern style dessert.  This is nothing fancy; just eggs, butter, sugar, buttermilk and a few more ingredients comprise this pie.  It’s a simple, custard based pie that is made with buttermilk (just as the name indicates).  This is a pie that can be baked in a pie shell, but can be baked in just a pie dish as well (this is ideal for my mom since she just uses the crust as a utensil to hold the filling).  This would even be fun to put in mini pie dishes or ramikins for easy, individual serving portions.

Now if you’re still not too sure about this pie, wait before you switch pages or decide that this isn’t the pie for you.  Spencer was skeptical of this pie as well.  He turned his nose up at the name alone, and basically looked at me like I was crazy for even wanting to make this.  It only took an hour to change his mind, as soon as the pie came out of the oven (and after I took my pictures, of course) he dug into the pie not once but twice!  I second Spencer’s new found enthusiam for this pie.  I now can honestly say I see what all the hype is about.  Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of the ingredients, this is one delicious pie.  A crunchy, brulee-type top, smooth, custard like filling and the soft, flakiness of the crust makes for a simple but award winning pie.  This pie doesn’t need anything else, but a sprinkle of powdered sugar or a scoop of fresh whipped cream would add a simple, but finishing touch.

Buttermilk Pie

Ingredients:

2 Cups granulated sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1/2 Tbsp cornmeal 
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 Large eggs, beaten
Pinch of salt
3/4 Cup buttermilk
1/4 Tsp baking soda
1 Tsp vanilla extract
1 Tsp white vinegar
1 Pie crust

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Bake the empty pie crust for 10 minutes, remove from oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, combine the sugar, flour, and cormeal in a small bowl and set aside.  Place the butter in a bowl and cream using an electric mixer.  Add the sugar to the butter and mix until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs, buttermilk, baking soda, salt, vanilla and vinegar and stir (or mix on low) until incorporated.

Poor the filling into the partially baked pie shell.  Place the filled pie shell on a baking sheet (to catch any filling that bubbles over), place in the oven and bake, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes or until the filling is set.

*a pinch of ground cinnamon or nutmeg may be added to give a little more flavor to the custard.  Also, lemon is used is some variations of this recipe as well.  I think I will try adding a little lemon zest and juice next time!

Recipe source:  Homesick Texan  (P.S. This talented Texan is not only a blogger but she has a cookbook that was recently published.  Be sure to check it out and keep it in mind for the cook on your Christmas list.)