In a week anticipating squash, apple and pecan, this pie is still the only thing I want. I’ve made it twice. From the very beautiful blog Local Milk, this buttermilk pie leaves others behind, mostly because of this super-crusty cornmeal-nubbed crust, ready to dosey-do with the lemony and nutmeg custard filling.
I’ve tasted buttermilk pie before, but it’s usually a thin, mushy cardboard crust that has no relationship whatsoever with the filling, which is usually bland. This crust to filling dynamic is like Tracy and Hepburn: rustic, homey, authentic dancing with sublime, elegant. Forget the dosey-do, this combination is ready to tango.
Light as lemon and buttermilk, this pie is a beautiful antidote to all that molasses, maple, and cinnamon on Thanksgiving day; the cornmeal and nutmeg keep it relevant.
Buttermilk Pie with Cornmeal Crust
Ingredients
2 eggs separated, room temp
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temp
1 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk, room temp
powdered sugar (optional, for dusting)
*would also be good with fresh whipped cream
Instructions
Roll out your crust and put it in your pie pan. Cover in plastic and chill in the fridge while you make your filling.
Heat oven to 350° F.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form and set aside. With whip attachment cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer. Add yolks to butter-sugar mixture and combine well. Add the flour, lemon juice, nutmeg, and salt to the mixture. Slowly steam in buttermilk and mix for 1 minutes. Fold the whites into the buttermilk mixture.
Remove crust from fridge and pour in mixture. Smooth with spatula and bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden and set in the middle. Cool thoroughly on a rack before serving. Dust with powdered sugar if you like or top with fresh whipped cream.
cornmeal lard crust
from Sarah Malphrus, pastry chef of Husk Restaurant in Charleston, SC
yields one single crust pie
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup cold pork fat, cut into 1/2" pieces (I use leaf lard)
1/4 (half a stick) butter, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/4 cup ice cold water
Instructions
Mix flour, cornmeal, and salt. Cut in fat and butter until no pieces larger than a pea remain. Slowly add the water, working it into the dough with your hands until it comes together. On plastic wrap form the dough into a disc 4"-5" across wrap, and chill for at least an hour. When ready to use roll out on a floured surface to fit a 9" pie pan, flouring as needed to keep from sticking.
