Pie Oh My!

I have been secretly afraid of pies my entire adult life. Not actually eating pies, I LOVE eating pies. Apple, peach, key lime. Give me anything you got. But I have been deathly afraid of actually making a pie from scratch. I grew up watching my mother and grandmother makes pies like no one’s business, and to me it was hard work. Making dough, rolling it out, making sure it’s just the right size to fit the pie pan. And then there’s the filling. That’s another story. But I knew one day I would have to face my fears and make a pie. And this was my moment! Good, bad, or ugly, I was going to make Buttermilk Pie! Read on to the see the rest.

There was no secret to how I chose to make a Buttermilk Pie; no secret dream of always wanting to make this special pie. The reason was simple: I had all the right ingredients. And oh yeah…the filling is unbelievably simple.

Pie Crust:
courtesy of Martha Stewart

2½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1tsp sugar
2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
4 tbsp ice water

Start by adding flour, salt and sugar to food processor. Pulse ingredients a few times to combine.





Add butter. Pulse until combined. Mixture should be somewhat crumbly, and you should be able to still see bits of butter throughout.



Add ice water and pulse just a few times more. Dough will appear to still be crumbly, but will come together if you try to form it.



Turn dough out onto plastic wrap. Divide into 2 parts and flatten each half into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour. This dough can also be put in the freezer for up to 3 months.





To form the dough, roll one disk unto a floured surface into a 14 inch round. Carefully transfer dough to pie plate. Use kitchen scissors to trim the edges. Crimp edges and refrigerate crust 1 hour.









For the Filling:
courtesy of Martha Stewart

3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tbsp all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, flour and sugar.





Add buttermilk and butter in 4 parts, alternating between the two. Whisk in vanilla.



Pour filling into chilled crust.



Sprinkle with nutmeg.



Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees. Cover pie loosely with foil. Bake until filling is set 40-50 minutes. Let cool on wire rack.



Serve at room temperature and be delighted!

This pie is great in a pinch. The hardest part to making it was waiting for it to bake and cool long enough to cut and devour it. Enjoy this custard treasure!




~T