Fourth of July Buttermilk Pie

This morning, on my hunt for a recipe on how to poach eggs (a low-calorie, no fat added breakfast), I came across the blog “Simply Recipes” by Elise Bauer. While I found a delicious, simple, and illustrated recipe on how to poach the perfect egg, I also found that her blog is full of recipes for every meal, occasion, and taste bud. Voted “Best Food Blog Overall” in the 2006 Food Blog Awards , I think this woman knows what she’s taking about!

So as I was browsing her recent blogs and recipes, I came across the second recipe from Elise that I will be trying (the first being the poached eggs): Fourth of July Buttermilk Pie.

I automatically thought of the fresh blueberries I bought at a local farm market the other day. A perfect mixture of sweet buttermilk, whipped cream, fresh fruit, and a crunchy crust; how could you go wrong with this?!

I image it being paired perfectly with a nice, chilled glass of Champagne. Cool and refreshing after a hearty burger on a Sunday afternoon.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 1/4 cup butter, melted (half a stick)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust
• 1 cup cold, heavy whipping cream
• 20-30 raspberries (or half as many strawberries, halved)
• A handful of blueberries

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs, then beat in the sugar and lemon zest until well combined. Beat in the flour and melted butter. Beat in the vanilla and buttermilk.

2. Pour filling batter into an uncooked pie shell (frozen is fine). Bake at 325°F for approximately 50 minutes, or until the center of the custard has just set (can still be a little wiggly). Remove from oven and let cool. The custard may puff up a bit in the oven; it will deflate as it cools.

3. Whip the chilled cream until it holds stiff peaks. Once the pie has cooled to room temperature, spread the whipping cream over the top of the pie. Arrange the raspberries and blueberries in a decorative pattern on top of the whipping cream.

Serve immediately or chill until ready to serve.

Makes 8 serving pieces.