I’ve really grown to dislike “stuff”. I hate clutter and though my house isn’t always clean, it’s usually “picked up” pretty well. I live in a small space so it doesn’t take much to look like a disaster zone. The single category of “stuff” I hoard, however, is recipes. I’ve had this pie in my kitchen basket for a year now, but it was certainly worth the clutter (and the effort). This pie is AWESOME.
I adapted it from Food Network Magazine; I reduced the sugar, changed the crust, and created a topping. I really had no idea what a buttermilk pie tasted like until I took my first bite. We actually ate it for dinner last Saturday (with two bowls of Kashi GoLean on the side). My husband told his brother we had eaten pie for dinner and when asked what kind he replied “a Becca concoction”. You will eat this pie and not be able to guess a single ingredient except for lemon. It’s just good.
Story about the crust. On the way home from the gym I told Rich to stop at Wawa so I could get graham crackers to make the crust. Wawa, in it’s infinite awesomeness, doesn’t carry graham crackers! I detest entering the grocery store for just one item, so I compromised. I bought 3 packs of “Maria” cookies and figured it’d make due (at the grocery store they’re sold in the Ethnic aisle near the Hispanic-type foods). On the back end of things I wouldn’t change them out – this crust was buttery, crumbly, and just a touch sweet. The bottom almost caramelized with the heat from the pie pan. Big fan. Huge. You, however, can sub a pre-made graham cracker crust if you want to save time. My husband was a huge fan of this pie and on Monday night we finished off the last two pieces, right from the pan. That’s some classy marital bliss right there.
Lemon Buttermilk Pie with Blueberry Compote
Serves 8
Crust
1 tube (7 oz) Maria cookies
1/4 c. sugar
5 tbsp. butter, melted
Filling
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs, separated
3 tbsp. all purpose flour
1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 tsp. lemon zest
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg (ideally freshly grated)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. buttermilk, room temperature
Blueberry Compote
2 c. frozen or fresh blueberries
3 tbsp. sugar
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. To make crust, grind cookies in food processor with sugar until powdery. Melt butter in mixing bowl and add crumbs/sugar to bowl. Stir to evenly coat.
2. Press crumb mixture into a pie plate using a dry measuring cup, pressing evenly into bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown and fragrant (when you start to smell the crust in your kitchen, it’s almost done). Let cool.
3. For filling, preheat oven to 350 if not already heated. Beat melted butter and sugar with electric mixer (ideally with whisk attachment) until combined, about 1 minute. Add egg yolks (reserve whites) and beat until pale and thick, about 1 minute on medium speed.
4. Add flour, lemon juice, zest, nutmeg and salt and mix on low until just combined.
5. With mixer on low, slowly pour in the buttermilk and mix until combined. Transfer mixture to bowl and wipe the bowl of standing mixer clean, along with the whisk attachment.
4. Add reserved egg whites to bowl and beat until fluffy but not breaking apart (see picture).
5. Fold egg whites into buttermilk mixture gently. Pour mixture into baked crust and bake pie for about 45 minutes, rotating halfway through bake time.
6. Meanwhile, combine blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan set over medium high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
7. Let pie cool on wire rack (at least 1 hour). Pie can be eaten warm/room temperature or chilled. Pie can keep covered, in fridge, for 24 hours. Serve with blueberry compote.
