Buttermilk Chess Pie

Florida here we come!

Autumn and I are heading down to Florida today to visit my mom and grandmother. This will be Autumn’s first flight. I’m up for the challenge but I’m really hoping that it goes well. She typically takes a nap mid morning and that is when we are flying so I’m hoping she will get snuggily and sleep. But you never know how it goes until you’re just stuck at 35,000 ft with a screaming baby. She is teething now (her 2nd tooth broken through yesterday morning) so she had a fever last night. At least now I can really drug her for the flight and it would be legitimate! ha!

This will also be my grandmother’s first time meeting Autumn. It will be a lot of fun for them to meet. I’ll be sure to get a lot of photos of them together. Plus have someone take a picture of all 4 generations. awww!

Since I’m heading to thee South I’ve made a Southern Classic to share today!

I’ve always wanted to try a Chess Pie so I’ve decided this is going to be a month of Chess Pies. I picked Buttermilk Chess Pie to kick things off. It was a good decision!

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve been lazy about making pie crust dough (with the exception of graham cracker/cookie crusts) but this was so easy that I’ve become a convert. Soo easy. and it felt so satisfying to make the whole thing myself. Believe them I am all about convenience but this didn’t take much effort so I will be making more pie crusts from now on.

This pie is super rich! I typically cut 8 slices in a pie but I think 12-16 slices would be fine since it’s so sweet and buttery. Oh the butter!! There are 2 sticks of butter in this pie between the crust and filling. So yeah, this is Southern!

I hope you enjoy a slice this weekend while I soak up the sun. Oh, I can’t wait!!

Buttermilk Chess Pie

Makes a 9″ Pie

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 1 Cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) COLD unsalted butter
• 3-4 Tablespoon ice water

For the Filling

• 1 1/2 Cups sugar
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 5 large eggs
• 2/3 Cup buttermilk
• 1/2 Cup unsalted butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Process

To make the crust

1. Cut the butter into small pieces. Put back the freezer for at least 10 minutes.
2. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse the mixture couple times. Add the butter to the mixture and pulse until the butter is cut into the size of peas. Add 3 tablespoons of ice cold water and pulse until the mixture looks like tiny pebbles. If needed add 1 more tablespoon of water.
3. Pour out the crumbly dough out onto a well floured work surface and press into a disk. Roll flat until 1/2″ thick, then fold the dough into thirds, towards the center. Roll flat again and fold into thirds again toward the center. Roll out again and then fold in thirds, then in thirds in the other direction, so the dough looks like a little cube. Press into a disk and wrap in plastic.
4. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

To make the pie

1. While the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 350.
2. Lightly beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add the buttermilk and light mix to combine.
3. Add the sugar and flour and mix again until combined.
4. Stir in melted butter and vanilla extract until combined.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a well floured surface, evenly roll out the disk until it is large enough to fit into a 9″ pie plate. Transfer into the pie plate, and then trim and crimp the edges as needed.
6. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust.
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until just set. Cool the pie on a wire rack at least an hour prior to serving. Store leftovers, well-wrapped in the refrigerator.

Crust sourced from A Spicy Perspective, Filling Sourced from A Cook and Her Books