BUTTERMILK CHESS PIE
Makes 1 (9-inch) pie
The recipe for this traditional Southern pie is adapted from one sent by a reader of our site, Liz Meier. As she wrote, “This recipe is from my great-aunt’s housekeeper, Quintella. They lived on a tobacco farm in a small town in southern Kentucky. It was the late ’50s, early ’60s. My great-aunt and -uncle were affluent and had domestic help in the house. (If you’re having visions of the movie The Help, you’re about dead-on.) Quintella worked for the family for a long time. She helped care for my brother and me in the late ’60s. To this day, older members of the family still talk about what a great cook she was, and this pie was a real favorite. I seem to remember this being more of an everyday pie than a special holiday pie.” I’d be happy to eat this pie every day. It’s pretty humble looking and more delicious for it. Thank you for sharing this with us, Liz.
- 1 disk chilled Pie Dough
- 1 cup (210 grams) organic cane sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature and separated
- ¼ cup low-fat buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons (65 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- Freshly grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
Prepare to bake. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Roll out the dough, press it into a 9-inch pie pan, and crimp the edges, if desired. Put the pie pan in the freezer as you make the filling.
Make the filling. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attach-ment, beat the sugar and egg yolks until they are fluffy. With the mixer running, pour in the buttermilk, Add the butter in little pieces, then the lemon zest and juice. Pour the filling into a large bowl.
Beat the egg whites. Clean the bowl of the stand mixer and the whisk attachment thoroughly and wipe them entirely dry. Add the egg whites to the bowl and beat them until they form stiff peaks.
Finish the filling. Fold the stiff egg whites into the pie filling. Pour it into the prepared pie pan.
Bake the pie. Put the pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put it in the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the pie filling is set, about 45 minutes.
Cool the pie. Cool the pie on the counter until it is room temperature. Serve.