Buttermilk Pie for Pi Day

Happy Pi Day! While every day is a food holiday of some sort, one of the very best is Pie/Pi Day, March 14. Get it? Pi, in its most significant digits, is 3.14 so each year 3/14 is the day we punnily celebrate Pi Day with pie!

For this special pie occasion I chose a pie that I've been wanting to try for a long time, Buttermilk Pie, which is an American classic.

n.o.e.'s notes:

- The recipe is from One Big Table by Molly O'Neill. This cookbook is packed full of terrific regional dishes from all across the US. I have enjoyed the things I've made from the cookbook and was excited to try another recipe.

- I made a mini pie in 7 pie shell. For the crust I used half a recipe of the Cook's Illustrated Foolproof Pie Dough, which I posted here.

- For the buttermilk filling I used a heaping 1/3 recipe. I've included the recipe, as I adapted it to a mini, below.

- I watched this pie carefully as it was in the oven, and let it bake until the filling was just set. The pie had the most perfect creamy texture, and the top was just turning golden brown.

- To get the recipe's full effect, I made the blackberry sauce but instead of the liqueur in the recipe I used lemon juice to thin the preserves.

the verdict:

I brought this pie to my book group - and was lucky to get a picture before our meeting because it was totally gone by the end of the evening. The pie made quite a stir. One comment: "Oh. THIS is good." The pie was creamy and sweet with just a slight tang from the buttermilk. The tart fruitiness of the blackberry sauce provided the perfect complement to the pie.

the recipe:

Barbara J. Duke's Buttermilk Pie with Blackberry Sauce,
Montgomery, Alabama, adapted from One Big Table by Molly O'Neill
Makes one 7" pie (serves 3-4)

For the Crust:
one half recipe of pie crust for single crust pie - I used the Cook's Illustrated Foolproof Pie Dough

For the Pie Filling:
1 jumbo egg, (61g without shell)
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
3 ounces buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Sauce:
1/4 cup highest-quality seedless blackberry preserves
2 teaspoons Chambord liqueur (I used lemon juice)

1. To make the pie: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll out and fit the crust into a 7" pie pan. Beat the eggs slightly in a large bowl. Combine the sugar and flour, add to the eggs, and continue beating until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the butter and mix well. Add the buttermilk and vanilla and beat well to combine. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 25 minutes or until the custard is set. Cool on a rack.

2. While the pie is baking, make the sauce: Put the preserves in a saucepan and warm on medium heat, stirring constantly with a whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and stir in the Chambord or lemon juice.

3. Cool to lukewarm and serve over the pie.