Buttermilk Pie

I recently made this pie for dessert since I have always been intrigued with the idea of it.  Since we moved to Texas 17 years ago, buttermilk pie has cropped up in conversations here and there.    It is a southern dessert and it turned out beautifully.  It was definitely a dessert without being overly sweet.  It is really something different for the end of a meal.

Buttermilk Pie
Makes 8 servings

For the dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
9 tablespoons (4 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 large egg

For the filling:
3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the dough:
In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, sugar and salt.  Pulse until combined.  Scatter the butter pieces over the flour.  Process in short bursts until the butter is the size of the peas.  Add the egg and process in long pulses, about 5-7 seconds until the dough has started to clump.  Place a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and dump the dough onto the surface.  Using the plastic wrap and the back of your hands, gently press the dough into a disk.  Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Remove the dough from the refrigerator.  If refrigerated overnight, let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.  On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch circle, flouring the dough and surface as necessary to keep the dough from sticking.  Roll up the dough around the rolling pin and gently unroll it over a 9-inch pie plate.  Trim the excess dough from the pie plate and crimp the edges.  Place pie crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or place in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Line the pie crust with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the weights and foil and bake for another 3-5 minutes.  Place on a rack to cool completely.  Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees.

For the filling:
Place the cooled pie plate on a baking sheet. 

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until light and lemony in color.  Gradually add the flour to the egg mixture.  Mix in butter.  Dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk and add to the egg mixture.  Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla.

Pour in the prebaked pie shell and bake for 8 minutes.  Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 40 minutes or until the pie is set.  Cool completely.  The filling will fall.  Serve at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream, fresh berries or both.  Enjoy!

Recipe from the Gourmet Galley.net

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