Brown Sugar Buttermilk Pie

The other night I dreamt that I was locked up in an attic. My room was in the tower of a sprawling mansion with one small oval window overlooking the sea, and I remember watching a storm roll in from the west- I had to keep wiping the window with a stiff, lacy sleeve because the room was humid and cold at the same time. All of a sudden the door, which was rounded and hobbit size (even in my dreams I'm short), opened and about 17 cats walked in- each with a tiny cake strapped to its back. A vintage yellow-coloured refrigerator materialized out of nowhere and I fed them fresh tuna from the sea below, along with some buttermilk. As they happily ate, the cakes fell off and the crumbs turned into butterflies upon hitting the wood floor...

Very V.C. Andrews meets David Lynch.

Anyway, I woke up craving buttermilk. Buttermilk and pie. Not cake.

I'm smitten with desserts that have buttermilk in the title. It's an easy sell. Buttermilk offers a creamy twang to sweet things lovingly baked in the oven.

Compared with the blushing, coy, fruit pies of spring and summer, this pie is not very glamorous. But it's sweetly humble and exceptionally happy with its homey, cosy visage. The filling is a sublime custard with hints of maple, cinnamon and of course, buttermilk. What makes this pie so irresistible is its sweetness contrasted with the buttery, flaky crust. I love a crust that makes me want to devour every last crumb. This one is a keeper!

I'm on a Baked cookbook kick lately. Is it wrong to be obsessed with their recipes? I doubt it- and more importantly, can you blame me? Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito are pastry icons. I'm thinking about building a Baked shrine.

Brown Sugar Buttermilk Pie
makes one 9-inch pie

for the pie crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1/2 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (that's 1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks {Note: I froze the butter chunks in a covered bowl overnight.}
about 3/4 cup of ice water

for the filling
4 eggs
2 Tablespoons + 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (that's 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
1/4 cup pure maple syrup

method
Prepare the crust: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, sugar and salt. Add the cold chunks of butter and toss everything together until the butter is well-coated with the flour mixture.

Place into the bowl of a food processor and, using quick bursts, pulse until the butter pieces are the size of oatmeal and peas- don't worry if they're not all uniform. Slowly, using about 1 Tablespoon at a time, begin adding the ice water- pulsing for about 4 seconds after each addition. As soon as the dough comes together on the blade, stop adding the water. (You probably won't need the entire 3/4 cup). Scrape the *dough out onto a floured surface and pat in into a disk. Wrap the disk in parchment paper and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to 3 days).

*The dough might look wet and sticky- once it's thoroughly chilled it will roll out beautifully.

On a floured surface, roll the chilled dough out into a 12-inch circle. Gently transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate and carefully work it snuggly into the bottom and sides. *Trim the edges so you're left with about a 1-inch overhang- tuck in the overhang and crimp the edges using your knuckles or the tines of a fork. Wrap the crust and freeze until firm- about 30-40 minutes.

*If you have enough dough left after trimming, re-roll and cut out tiny shapes! 

Prepare the filling:
Preheat the oven to 325 F.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs together. Whisk in 2 Tablespoons of flour and the ground cinnamon (it's okay if it curdles). Add the brown sugar and whisk until the mixture is well combined. Add the melted butter, buttermilk, almond extract and maple syrup- whisk vigorously until combined.

Remove the crust from the freezer. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of flour over the bottom of the crust. Pour the buttermilk batter into the shell.

Bake for 1 hour, or until the custard filling is set. {Note: I had to add 20 minutes to the baking time-for a total of 80 minutes. If the crust is browning too fast and the filling is not set, cover the edges with a pie crust protector or tin foil.}

Remove the pie from the oven and place it onto a cooling rack. Cool before serving. Enjoy at room temperature.

Adapted from Baked Explorations