Buttermilk Pie

As I have said before, I grew up in a foreign household. I have never heard of things like buttermilk pie. Then last week I saw this beautiful post on Joy the Baker and I knew I had to try it. It's really a sweet story, you should check it out. For some reason, I have been getting these insane urges to bake after I come home from a day of work. Maybe it's the fact that cutting fat into flour requires a bit of arm work that I don't normally get (cause those close to me KNOW I have fallen off the working out wagon). My parents brought some wonderful English things with them when they came to America. Mostly tea, but also this stuff that I used to love with poundcake when I was a kid. It was Bird's Custard and my mom used to let me help her make it for dessert. I loved the warm custard and I especially loved skimming the top layer and eating it with my cake. This pie reminds me of that custard I loved so much when I was young, but with a slight tang from the buttermilk. This is the kind of dessert that I don't mind my booty expanding for.



Buttermilk Pie
(From Panache at Rose Hill via Buttercakes by Evan via Joy the Baker)

For the dough:
2 sticks (8oz), cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces and frozen for 15 minutes
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold buttermilk

For the custard:
3 large eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 stick melted, slightly cooled
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

For the pie:
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
buttermilk custard

Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt into a large bowl. Add the butter and mix with a dough blender or a couple of forks until it forms pea sized pieces. Add the buttermilk all at once and mix until the dough comes together. The dough will be tacky and still shaggy.

Remove the dough from the bowl and quickly form into a rough disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 3 days.

To make the custard:
In a medium bowl, beat eggs slightly. In a small bowl, mix sugar and flour well and add to the eggs. Mix until creamy. Add melted butter, mixing well. Add buttermilk and vanilla extract.

To make the pie:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Pour the custard into the cold unbaked 9-inch pie shell. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the custard sets. The custard will still jiggle a bit when the custard is set, just make sure that the middle does not jiggle more than the sides or it will need more time.

Serve cake with fruit sauce (strawberry or any other kind) if desired.