Buttermilk Pie - easy and delicious!

Buttermilk pie - the house-pie of the South!

 

Our grandmother made this pie when we were growing up. It's very sweet and tangy, and about as Southern as you can get in the dessert world. What really makes this particular version special is the light crust that forms on top. This is coveted in the buttermilk pie world, and if you google it you'll find a million posts of people (unsuccessfully) trying to get that crust on top. :)

The best part about this recipe is how simple it is to make with things you already have in your kitchen.

This time of year is tough because people have so many pot lucks and holiday parties to attend.What do you do? Swing by the grocery store to grab some cookies? Nah... you need a simple dish, one that takes about 5 minutes to put together but still packs a punch. There are rarely any leftovers, but it's just as easy to double the recipe and make two.

I make this in an easy flaky pie crust or simple shortbread crust, but this recipe is so delicious people won't notice if you put it in a store-bought crust.

Recipe Note: The proportions of ingredients are critical to the outcome of this pie and the crust on top. You'll find that all buttermilk pie recipes on the internet more or less have the same ingredients, but in slightly different proportions. The proportions below should not be changed. It's tempting to reduce the sugar and try to substitute with more flour, but you won't get the crust on top and the texture will change completely. And that crust on top (reminiscent of toasted marshmallows) is everything. It doesn't turn out nearly as sweet as you'd think.

One note - pick up a cheap instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the pie. You can find them at any grocery store or Target for about $10 and it's useful for SOOOo many things in the kitchen, but especially custards and pies. The internal temperature of a custard pie should be cooked to 175, then boom! Pull it from the oven. Cool on the counter for an hour and refrigerate. You'll NEVER have to guess about whether it's done or not again. (Pecan pies should be cooked to 185F internal).

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup salted butter (1 stick), room temperature (add 1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter) 
• 3 rounded tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole buttermilk (*see note below)
• 1.5 cups sugar (200g)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 9" **deep dish pie shell or shortbread crust

• * If you can't find buttermilk, you can substitute as such: In a glass measuring cup, add 1 tbsp white vinegar, then fill to the 1-cup line with whole milk. Let sit for about 15 minutes at room temperature. (This shortcut is the reason some people call this "vinegar pie".)
  ** This recipe perfectly fills the kind of 9" "deep dish" pie shell you might pre-made at the grocery store. If you use a super deep dish pie crust (like the kind you'd make an apple pie in), it'll still work but the crust will come up super high on the sides.
• *** Other variations: The pie is truly delicious as it is, but if you want to try some variations, you can reduce the vanilla to 1 tsp and add a tablespoon of lemon juice along with zest from half a lemon. Another option would be to add a half a tsp of almond extract, but I wouldn't do that with the lemon.

Directions:

1. Let your eggs and buttermilk sit on the counter for an hour to come to room temperature. This is important, otherwise when you add the melted butter, it will suddenly turn into tiny solid chunks and your pie won't have the right texture.
2. Preheat oven to 350F.
3. Whisk the eggs gently, then slowly whisk the melted butter into them until well mixed.
4. Add the other ingredients one at a time, whisking well after each ingredient.
5. Pour into a pie shell or shortbread crust
6. Bake at 350F and cook for about 55-60 minutes (until the internal pie temperature reaches 200F) The top will develop a really nice dark brown color, which is exactly what you want. That color will be about an 1/8" to 1/4" crust that's similar to a toasted marshmallow. When you bite into that slight crunch then into the creamy smooth tangy sweet buttermilk filling, you'll know why the good Lord gave you lips.
7. The pie will jiggle a bit in the center, but don't worry. It'll set up as it cools. Let cool on the counter for an hour, then completely chill in the refrigerator overnight. (Don't put it in the fridge too soon or it may not set up properly.)

Yes lawd!

Buttermilk pie - the house-pie of the South!