Friday, June 4, 2010

Buttermilk Pie With Warm Berry Sauce


Get ready. This pie is the real deal. It all begins with the crust, and WOW is this a crust. Butter + buttermilk +a little flour, sugar, salt.
Uh. Yeeeeaa. And it doesn't stop there...the filling entails more butter, more buttermilk, and a little bit of love. Drizzled (or in my case, slabbed on...) with a hearty tinge of berry sauce (heat jam + a bit of liquor), it all seems to good to be true.


Actually, I especially liked the pie the following day after it had been in the refrigerator all night; all of the flavor really got to settle in and it was nice and cold--it seemed more like a cheesecake this way.


Over the years, my math skills have gone down the drain, and I was never that great at geometry to begin with. One of the most difficult tasks for me now as a baker is cutting a tart or pie into even pieces. In a professional food setting, I would have to plate every slice of pie exactly the same size. Your average tart or pie would probably be cut into 9 slices. 9 is a tough number. I have to draw a diagram so that I remember how to cut. Finding the center is also very challenging for me. For tarts baked in a tart pan, I have also resorted to counting the number of ridges per slice (8-9 ridges equal one slice). Goodness, I have a headache now!


When I am in a more casual setting, I just let everyone slice for themselves
(or, if I am the one slicing, I just do a rough eyeball). I don't need anything fancy (In my family, we tear our bread loaves rather than slice; it's just more fun that way). There are always those who just want a little sliver of pie, and those who want a slice the size of my head, so I just stand back and let them do their thing.


Anyhoot, this pie is so rich that it feels so light. I'm kind of floating right now (or maybe I just have too much CA sunshine running through my veins). Either way, come on over for a slice of pie, it's my treat.


Buttermilk Pie with Warm Berry Sauce

recipe from Joythebaker.com


Buttermilk Pie Dough


2 sticks (8 ounces) cold unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk, cold


Cut butter into 1 inch pieces and place in the freezer to chill for 15 minutes.


Sift together the flour and sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Sifting eliminates lumps and aerates the mixture, making the dough tender and lighter. Add the partially frozen butter and the salt. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes, or until the butter is reduced to the size of broken walnut meats. Stop the machine and by hand pinch flat any large pieces of butter that remain.


Turn the mixer on low speed and add the buttermilk all at once. Mix until the dough comes together, about 15 seconds. The dough should be tacky, but not sticky, and still rather shaggy.


Remove the dough from the bowl and quickly form into a rough disk. Wrap in plastic. Try not to overwork the dough. Chill for at least 1 hour before rolling out. At this point the dough will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 weeks. For freezing roll the dough into sheets and wrap them in airtight plastic film first.


Roll the dough out into about 1/8th inch thickness. Transfer to a pie plate and stick in the freezer (or fridge) while you prepare the filling.



Buttermilk Filling


3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 stick melted butter, slightly cooled

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extrct

1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell


Beat eggs slightly. Mix sugar and flour well and add to the eggs. Mix until creamy. Add melted butter, mixing well. Add buttermilk and vanilla extract. Bake at 325 degrees F for 45 minutes to 1 hour (my pie took about 1 hour and 15 minutes) until the custard sets. Tip: the custard will still jiggle a bit in the oven even when it's set. Just make sure that the middle does not jiggle a lot more than the sides. That means it needs more time.


Berry Sauce


1/2 cup berry preserves (I used raspberry jam p.s. it had seeds, which I like because it adds a fun little crunch. If you prefer seedless, by all means go seedless!)


1 Tablespoon Chamborde liqueur, also considered orange liqueur or a bit of Triple Sec


Pour the preserves in a saucepan and arm on medium heat, stirring constantly with wire whip until smooth. Remove from heat and add liqueur. Let cool slightly and drizzle over pie.



**Just a shout-out to Joy: After hours and hours spent baking her recipes and perusing her blog, I decided to start my own blog a year ago. She has truly been an inspiration for my baking, my writing style, and my sense of well-being. I thank you again and again and again Joy! (Below is a photograph of Joy, on the right, and myself at a roof-top picnic that she put together for her and her fellow blogging friends/readers last year.)

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