PIES, CAKES, ICE CREAMS, AND OTHER DELIGHTS
Desserts with the zing of buttermilk are sweets with a difference. Try classic pies, rich cakes, silky panna cotta, or refreshing ice creams.
Few things are more southern than buttermilk and sweet iced tea, so I immediately thought of combining them in a classic pie. The tea gives a subtle flavor to this custardy pie.
MAKES 1 9-INCH PIE
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon loose black tea leaves
1 9-inch piecrust, unbaked
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
¼ teaspoon vanilla
4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Fresh mint leaves, for garnish
Warm the buttermilk in a small saucepan over medium-low heat just until it begins to steam. Do not allow it to boil or it may curdle. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the tea leaves. Let it sit for 1 hour, then strain out the tea leaves and reserve the infused buttermilk.
Line a 9-inch pie pan with the crust. Preheat the oven to 425°.
Use a fork or whisk to combine the lemon zest, sugar, and flour in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, vanilla, infused buttermilk, and melted butter. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and whisk to combine well.
Pour the filling into the crust. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350° and bake until the edges puff and the center is no longer liquid, about 30 more minutes. If the crust begins to overbrown before the center is set, reduce the heat to 300°. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Garnish the pie with mint leaves before serving.
Sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving is a southern tradition, but many sweet potato pies simply echo the flavors of pumpkin pie. I decided to make something different by using buttermilk, fresh ginger, and sweet orange. You can either boil or roast the sweet potatoes. I like to roast them because I think it adds a richer flavor.
MAKES 1 9-INCH PIE
1 9-inch piecrust, unbaked
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1½ teaspoons finely grated orange zest
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1½ cups mashed cooked sweet potato
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the crust.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, ginger, orange zest, and salt until combined and no lumps remain. Add the buttermilk, sweet potato, eggs, and melted butter. Use an electric mixer to blend all the ingredients until the mixture is smooth.
Pour the mixture into the piecrust. Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until the edges have puffed up slightly and the center does not feel liquid when tapped lightly with a finger.
I was pondering a classic buttermilk pie recipe when I had dinner at 18 Seaboard in Raleigh, North Carolina, where chef Jason Smith is committed to local ingredients. This pie was so much better than anything I’d come up with that I begged for the recipe, and pastry chef Billy Apperson was glad to provide it. The fruit topping varies with the season. Freeze the extra piecrusts—you’ll be wanting more of this pie.
MAKES 1 9-INCH PIE
FOR THE RIESLING-MARINATED PEACHES
1 pint peaches, peeled and sliced
½ cup Riesling (see Note below)
½ cup simple syrup (see Note below)
FOR THE PIECRUST
3 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup sugar
1 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 large egg yolks
⅓ cup milk
FOR THE FILLING
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1½ cups sugar, divided
3 large eggs, separated
4½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
1½ cups buttermilk
To prepare the Riesling-Marinated Peaches, place the peaches in a nonreactive container with a lid or a reclosable plastic bag. Pour the Riesling and simple syrup over the peaches. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
To prepare the piecrust, in a food processor, combine the flour and sugar. Add the butter and pulse until the pieces are about half the size of a green pea. Add the egg yolks and milk and process just until the crust has a crumbly texture. Do not overprocess or the crust will be tough. Divide the dough into 3 balls of equal size. Wrap each ball tightly in plastic wrap.
Place two of the wrapped dough balls in a reclosable plastic bag or other airtight container. Refrigerate or freeze for later use. (Dough will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator or up to a month in the freezer.) Refrigerate the third dough ball for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°. Roll out the refrigerated dough on a floured surface to a thickness of about ¼ inch. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan and place in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Cut a piece of parchment paper a little larger than the pie plate and place it on top of the crust. Fill the parchment-lined piecrust with pie weights (dried beans or coffee beans will also work). Bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the piecrust 180° (to ensure even browning) and bake for 5 more minutes.
Take the crust out of the oven and reduce the temperature to 325°. Carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights and return the crust to the oven. Bake for another 5 minutes, or until the crust is cooked through.
To prepare the filling, with an electric mixer, cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar. Add the egg yolks one at a time. After the egg yolks are thoroughly incorporated, mix in the flour, lemon juice, and buttermilk.
In a separate bowl with clean beaters, beat the egg whites with the remaining ½ cup sugar until soft peaks form. Fold this mixture into the buttermilk mixture. Pour into the baked piecrust and bake at 325° for 30 minutes. Rotate the pie 180° and bake for 20–30 more minutes, or until the filling is set (the center will still be slightly jiggly) and the top is golden brown. Cool to room temperature on a wire rack before serving with Riesling-Marinated Peaches.
NOTE * Billy Apperson likes to use a North Carolina–produced riesling from shelton vineyards.
Simple syrup is made from equal parts water and sugar—for this recipe, that’s ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar. Combine both in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved. Let the syrup cool before using it. It can be refrigerated for use in drinks and desserts.
There’s nothing wrong with fancy cobblers topped by sweet biscuits. But when the blueberries are in season at the farmers’ market, I want to get them into a dessert and onto my table as quickly as I can. This is the easiest cobbler ever. My mother and grandmother made it with “sweet milk,” but buttermilk gives the cake part of the cobbler extra richness.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup sugar
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 cups fresh blueberries (or frozen, thawed, and drained)
Preheat the oven to 375°. Place the butter in an 8 × 8-inch baking dish and put it in the oven until the butter is melted. Do not allow the butter to burn.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the buttermilk, egg, and vanilla. Stir until the batter is smooth.
Pour the batter into the baking dish, over the melted butter. Spoon the blueberries evenly over the batter. Bake for 30–40 minutes, or until golden brown.
My friend Jan Norris in West Palm Beach, Florida, got this recipe from her mother. Jan says her mom carried this cake to every family event she can remember. Jan is a busy woman, running JanNorris.com and writing about food, but she continues the tradition and keeps a cake or two in her freezer at all times. She says leftovers (if there are any) are great for breakfast, toasted with a little jam.
MAKES ABOUT 20 SERVINGS
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs or 6 large eggs
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
FOR THE GLAZE (OPTIONAL)
1½ cups powdered sugar
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
Grated lemon or lime zest
Prepare a 10-inch tube pan by coating the inner surface with nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil and dusting it with flour. Preheat the oven to 325°.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high speed until creamy and pale, about 5 minutes. Break the eggs into a small bowl and whisk gently to break the yolks. Add the eggs to the butter mixture in two additions, beating well after each and scraping the sides of the bowl between beatings.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking soda, salt, and flour. On medium speed, beat ⅓ of the flour mixture into the creamed butter mixture. Stop the mixer and add half of the buttermilk. Turn the mixer on low to prevent spatters and beat for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 1 minute. Add another ⅓ of the flour mixture, the rest of the buttermilk, the vanilla, and then the rest of the flour mixture, beating well after each addition and scraping the bowl periodically to incorporate all the ingredients. The batter will be thick.
Scrape the batter into the prepared tube pan and rap the bottom of the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles. Bake in the lower third of the oven for about 1 hour or until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean. The cake may crack on top, but this is OK.
Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then turn the cake out onto the rack to continue cooling.
To make the glaze, combine the powdered sugar and lemon or lime juice until smooth, then stir in some grated zest for color. Brush it on the cooled cake.
These cupcakes caught my eye at the Triangle Food Blogger Bake Sale in Durham, North Carolina, because they weren’t overloaded with icing. Even better, the baker, Magie Lanz of Cary, North Carolina, told me she avoids using the typical red food coloring in favor of natural beet juice dye. My tasters said the frosting reminded them of cheesecake.
MAKES 24–30 CUPCAKES
FOR THE BEET JUICE DYE
1 beet, sliced
¼ cup white vinegar
1 cup water
FOR THE CUPCAKES
¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¾ cups sugar
5 large egg whites, at room temperature
1½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup cake flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup nonalkalized cocoa powder (don’t use Dutch processed)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup beet juice dye
FOR THE FROSTING
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
¾ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
To prepare the beet juice dye, put the beet, vinegar, and water in a saucepan. Place the saucepan over medium heat, bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat and slowly simmer it down until there’s about ¼ cup left. Strain out the beet and let the liquid cool before using. The juice will keep up to a month, covered and refrigerated.
To prepare the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 375°. Place paper liners in approximately 30 muffin cups.
Beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer or stand mixer until the sugar is dissolved and the texture is light and fluffy. Add the egg whites one at a time. Beat until the texture becomes almost like frosting. Then beat in the buttermilk and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flours, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until the batter is smooth. The texture and consistency should be something like chocolate mousse. Stir in the beet juice dye.
Spoon the cupcake batter into the muffin pans. Bake for 15–20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of 1 cupcake comes out clean. Do not overbake. Let the cupcakes cool to room temperature on a wire rack before frosting.
To prepare the frosting, using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, butter, and sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Put the frosting in a quart-size reclosable plastic bag, cut off a corner, and pipe spirals of frosting onto each cupcake. Keep the frosted cupcakes refrigerated, tightly covered, until serving.
Janice McLaughlin of Raleigh, North Carolina, got this recipe from her grandmother, Marie Mercedes Comeau McLaughlin, who was from the French-speaking part of Nova Scotia. These soft, sweet cookies are similar to tea cakes and show off buttermilk’s flavor subtly.
MAKES ABOUT 5 DOZEN COOKIES
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups vegetable shortening
2 cups buttermilk
1 heaping teaspoon baking soda
2 heaping teaspoons nutmeg
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
8 cups all-purpose flour
Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle blade, cream the eggs, sugar, and shortening until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and baking soda. Add the buttermilk mixture to the egg mixture and beat until smooth. Stir in the nutmeg, baking powder, salt, and flour. The dough will be soft.
Roll out the dough to a ¼-inch thickness or press it out with floured hands. Cut out the cookies with a biscuit cutter and place them on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 8–9 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned. Bake in batches. If using more than one cookie sheet in the oven, rotate the sheets to promote even cooking.
Anything that translates as “cooked cream” has got to be good. Adding buttermilk brings a tart edge to this dessert’s richness. The Asian flavors are my little twist. And green tea is good for you, right?
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
1¼ cups heavy cream
½ cup sugar
1 3-inch piece lemongrass, split lengthwise and lightly crushed
1½ teaspoons green tea leaves
1 package unflavored gelatin
3 tablespoons cold water
1 cup buttermilk
Riesling-Marinated Peaches (page 56), for serving
In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the cream, sugar, lemongrass, and tea leaves. Stir and heat until the sugar is dissolved. Reduce the heat to very low and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In a medium-sized bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the water. Let sit for 5 minutes. Strain the cream mixture to remove the solids, then whisk it into the gelatin while still warm. Let cool until just slightly warm, then gradually whisk in the buttermilk.
Pour the mixture into 6-ounce ramekins, teacups, or other containers. Cover and refrigerate 3–4 hours or until set. To serve, gently run a warm butter knife around the inside of the ramekin or cup and tap the panna cotta onto a plate. Serve with Riesling-Marinated Peaches.
I don’t care if it’s 90° or 9°—I love ice cream. The simple, fresh flavor that you get when you combine buttermilk and lemon is refreshing anytime. Because there’s no heavy cream in this recipe, you can eat plenty of it with little guilt.
MAKES ABOUT 1 PINT
⅔ cup sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
2 cups buttermilk
Whisk the sugar and lemon zest into the buttermilk. Chill the mixture for several hours or overnight. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.
NOTE * This ice cream tastes best when eaten the day it is prepared.
Lavender farms are popping up all over the South, and I am intrigued with using the herb in cooking. The tangy buttermilk beautifully balances the floral flavor of the lavender. Look for lavender that is labeled for culinary use and has been grown organically, without chemical sprays.
MAKES ABOUT 1 PINT
½ cup heavy cream
1½ cups buttermilk
¾ cup sugar
2 teaspoons dried lavender buds
In a large bowl, whisk together the cream, buttermilk, and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the lavender. Cover and refrigerate for 12 hours (or longer if you want a stronger lavender flavor).
Strain out the lavender and discard it. Freeze the cream mixture according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.
The tartness of buttermilk and the sweetness of chocolate—sign me up. This ice cream is so easy to make that you can keep a pint on hand for an emergency or just because it’s Tuesday. My tasters said it didn’t last twenty-four hours in their houses.
MAKES ABOUT 1½ PINTS
1 cup heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
½ cup chocolate-hazelnut spread, such as Nutella
2 cups buttermilk
½ cup sugar
Place the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat and heat, stirring, until it begins to steam. Place the egg yolks in a bowl and stir in 2 or 3 tablespoons of the hot cream. Add another tablespoon or two of the cream and stir until the yolks are warmed. Slowly pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan and cook, stirring, until it coats the back of a wooden spoon.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the chocolate-hazelnut spread until the mixture is smooth. Strain to remove any solids, then cool to room temperature.
In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Whisk in the cooled cream mixture until smooth; the cream mixture must be cool or the buttermilk may curdle. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s instructions.
Sometimes you need a treat on a warm day that’s easy but good. Using buttermilk in this dessert balances the sweetness and gives the flavor a little something interesting.
MAKES 6 SERVINGS
2½ cups buttermilk
2 (3.4-ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 cups whipped cream (sweetened or unsweetened, your choice)
6 cups fresh blueberries or chopped fresh peaches, or a combination
3 tablespoons granola
Mint sprigs, for garnish
Whisk together the buttermilk and pudding mix until it is smooth. Use a spatula to fold in the whipped cream. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
To serve, alternate layers of the buttermilk mixture and fruit either in a large glass bowl or in individual glasses. When ready to serve, sprinkle the granola on top and garnish with sprigs of mint.
A cup of tea and this hearty, spicy gingerbread can brighten the grayest day. And it keeps fantastically because of the moisture provided by the buttermilk. Thanks, Janice McLaughlin.
MAKES ABOUT 12 SERVINGS
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 large eggs
⅓ cup melted shortening
¾ cup molasses
2½ cups buttermilk
1½ teaspoons baking soda
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Preheat the oven to 325°. Spray a 9 × 13-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, eggs, and melted shortening. In a large bowl, combine the molasses, buttermilk, and baking soda. Beat until the mixture foams. Stir in the sugar mixture.
Sift the flour and baking powder together, then add it to the molasses mixture. Stir until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.