Buttermilk pie
“Two cups of sugar?” I said to myself as I read over my great-grandma Blanche’s recipe for buttermilk pie. That amount sounded outrageous! But when I mentioned this to a smart bunch of folks, they nodded their heads and said, “Ah, that must be a recipe for buttermilk pie.” And even though I was dubious, I decided to adhere to the wisdom of my elders and bake this sugar-loaded pie as apparently that is just how this pie is done.
Now, if you’re unfamiliar with this old Southern dessert you may be asking, “What is buttermilk pie?” Well, as the name implies, it’s a custard pie made with buttermilk. And while it may sound strange to the uninitiated, take note that Texans have long been resourceful with buttermilk, as for many years it was both inexpensive and widely available. But here’s where defining buttermilk pie becomes tricky, at least for me.
The interesting thing about my recipe is that Grandma Blanche titled it buttermilk chess pie, which begs the question: are chess pie and buttermilk pie the same thing? I used to think that they were not, as I have a chess pie recipe that does not include buttermilk. But perhaps it is simply a variation. I wish I had the answer to these questions, but I don’t. But as I wait patiently for one of you to shed light on this topic I will occupy myself by baking my great-grandma’s buttermilk pie.
Now, to make this pie is a cinch as you simply mix together a custard filling that includes buttermilk, eggs, flour, corn meal and vinegar, and then you pour it into a partially baked pie shell and cook it until it’s set. The hardest thing about making this pie is being patient as you’ll be keeping it in the oven for a while and your home will begin to smell divine.
Not a fan of buttermilk? I wouldn’t worry as this is a luscious dessert. It has a sweet and slightly tangy custard that is wonderful to eat as is, completely unadorned. But if you desire, you could spiffy it up by topping it with some seasonal fruit, candied nuts or a drizzle of sorghum syrup. Many people serve it at Thanksgiving as it sits well on the holiday table with the pecan and sweet potato pies. But you certainly don’t need to a cold-weather holiday to enjoy a slice or two.
And yes, in case you’re wondering, those two cups of sugar do make for a sweet pie but I wouldn’t cut it back too much or it will just taste wrong. Don’t worry as I did: Great-grandma Blanche knew what she was doing.
Great-grandma Blanche’s buttermilk pie
Ingredients
- 1 9-inch unbaked piecrust
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or 1 tablespoon flour, 1/2 tablespoon cornmeal
- 8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), softened
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- Pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees. Place the piecrust into pie pan then slide into the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Combine the sugar with the flour and cornmeal, if you’re using. Cream the butter. Add the sugar mixture to the butter and then stir in the eggs, salt, buttermilk, baking soda, vanilla extract and vinegar.
- Pour filling into the partially baked piecrust and bake in the oven uncovered until brown on top and the custard has set, about 45-50 minutes.
I've never heard of buttermilk pie before. But, I love custard and buttermilk and pie sooo I'm going to assume that I would love this.
Can't wait to try it
My mom said that chess and buttermilk are the same. I think buttermilk is the southern version and chess is the Yankee one. 🙂 I remember asking her this when I was a girl (60's) and was reading all those Texas Panhandle pioneer stories ("Where the Wind Blows"and other Lola Grace Erdman books) where buttermilk pie was mentioned. My mom's people made chess (she's from Missouri) while I was raised in west Texas.
A definite well loved southern favorite! I'm the same way with the sugar and was taught a good chess pie or buttermilk pie should always be served with very strong coffee to cut the sweetness of the pie.
I was also taught that the difference between the two pies rests in whether or not it has cornmeal in it.
Chess pie, whether it has buttermilk or not, always has cornmeal in it. That creates the crusty top. Most people do not put buttermilk in their chess pie – but I do, though I guess that is a variation from the original. I like the tartness that buttermilk gives against the super sweetness of a chess pie.
A regular buttermilk pie is more custardy, lacking the crunchy top, and does not contain cornmeal.
Probably way more than you wanted to know, and I have no idea if any of this is valid, but that is what I have learned.
I don't know if it's true, but I think of that kind of gooey, sticky, custardy consistency as being what makes a pie "chess". I grew up on chess tarts made by my grandmother which seem to be the same consistency, but that are pretty different from your chess pie recipe. (My recipe is just eggs, butter, vanilla, and brown sugar, and is a deep golden brown.) And I've also had chocolate chess pie. And the only thing I can think of in common with all of these is the texture, but maybe I am missing something.
At any rate, I'm now sorely tempted to try your buttermilk chess pie, as I have some buttermilk in my fridge that really should be used up!
I'm so excited that you posted this recipe! I've been working on a smaller scale version of buttermilk pie. I noticed your recipe doesn't call for nutmeg to be sprinkled over the pie before being baked. I've never seen that before. How interesting!
Also, I frequently ponder about the origin of chess pies. Southern Living says that any custard pie with just a few ingredients is what makes chess. My grandmother made lemon chess and pecan chess pies, but never lemon pie or pecan pie. Not sure why. I think the origin of chess is a mystery.