buttermilk

Buttermilk Chess Pie

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This buttermilk chess pie is declared “the easiest pie to prepare in this chapter” in the America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook.  And it truly is simple.  It’s also quite delicious, creamy, smooth, rich and downright heavenly.

Buttermilk Chess Pie | Hottie Biscotti

After making this strawberry rhubarb pie and finishing off the last of it recently I was seriously craving more pie.  I’ve typically reserved pie for the holiday baking season, making cobblers more often in the summer.  But that’s just silly.  Pie can easily be a year round food and should be embraced as much now, when the weather is warm, as when it’s chilly out.  While some pies are better for cool weather and some for warmer days, this one can be enjoyed any time of year.  Pairing it with some fresh seasonal berries during the coming months will make it a great summer dessert.

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You can serve this custard pie warm, room temperature, or chilled.  The flavors shine through best when it’s warm or room temp, though.

The crust in this pie, as with most if not all pie, is important and can really make the dessert special.  If you use a store bought crust the dessert will be fine, but if you have the time to make your own it will be extra delicious.  I’ve used this all butter pie crust recipe from Smitten Kitchen the last couple of times I’ve made pie and I really like it.  The recipe makes enough for 2 crusts, so just stash one away for another time.

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The ingredient list is simple and straightforward, you probably have everything in your kitchen right this very moment.  Once you make the crust all you have to do is whisk everything else together, pour it into the pie crust and bake.  So, what are you waiting for?!

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Buttermilk Chess Pie

From America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Ingredients

  • 1 pie crust, fit into a pie plate, chilled and unbaked
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs + 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon fine-ground cornmeal
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Berries for garnish
  • Whipped cream for garnish

Directions

  1. Prepare pie crust by fitting it into a pie plate and placing the plate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
  2. Place a rimmed baking sheet into the oven and preheat to 375°F.
  3. Whisk all of the ingredients together and pour into pie shell.
  4. Place onto heated cookie sheet and bake for 40-45 minutes.  Top of the pie should be golden brown and center should be just set.
  5. Let cool on a wire rack until just warm or all the way to room temp.
  6. Garnish with fresh berries and/or whipped cream.

Sweet Potato and Rosemary Biscuits

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I want to be good at biscuit making.  Really good.  So good that someday my kids or grandkids will say, “These aren’t as good as Mom’s biscuits.” when they have someone else’s.  But I’ve only made biscuits a handful of times, and you can’t get really good at something unless you do it a lot.  So I think I am going to start making biscuits more, and I’m starting with something a little out of the ordinary, but totally delicious.

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This recipe comes from The Kitchn, I just added some fresh chopped rosemary and opted not to make the maple butter, which I am sure is truly heavenly.  But I was looking for something a little more savory to serve with dinner.

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These biscuits turned out very well, although not tall and fluffy like I imagine perfect biscuits to be.  They are moist and the flavor is incredible.  The sweet potato isn’t all that noticeable, but does add a nice sweetness to the biscuit and a lovely orange hue.  The rosemary is just present enough without being overwhelming.

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Serve these with butter, cause you can’t ever have too much.   Enjoy them for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  I think a little bacon and egg on one of these would be a spectacular way to start the day.  With a few slices of ham they’d make nice little lunch sandwiches, and serve them along side soup or whatever you’re having for dinner.  Or just eat one as an afternoon snack.

Sweet Potato and Rosemary Biscuits

From The Kitchn

Makes 9 3-inch biscuits

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
  • 1 cup cooked, mashed sweet potato (about 1 medium sized sweet potato)
  • 3/4 cup butter milk (you may not use quite all of this)
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into chunks

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.  Set aside.
  4. Whisk sweet potato, 1/2 cup buttermilk and rosemary together in a small bowl.  Set aside.
  5. Cut butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your hands, until butter is a bit smaller than pea sized.
  6. Fold in the sweet potato mixture, add a little more buttermilk if mixture seems dry.  Bu it should still be a little sticky.  Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
  7. Flour a work surface and turn dough out onto it.  Pat out into a round, about 1 inch high.  Use a 2 or 3-inch round cutter and cut as many biscuits out from the dough as you can and place them on the baking sheet.  Pat the dough scraps together and cut more biscuits.
  8. Bake for 15 minutes, then let cool (or not) and enjoy.

Basic Buttermilk Waffles

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When I searched for a waffle recipe on Pinterest an abundance of things popped up, but most were flavored in some way, fancified to make them stand out and beg for a repin or a like.  Salted caramel waffles, bacon waffles (which actually sound wonderful to me) pumpkin waffles, bacon and cheddar waffles, cinnamon roll waffles, gingerbread waffles and some others.  Is no one satisfied with a simple basic waffle?  That’s all I wanted.  So I searched somewhere else.  Somewhere unaffected by current food trends and the hope for a repin or a retweet or a re-something or other.  A cookbook that was given to me by my mother called Rice Farmers Kitchen 2, printed in 1996, that includes recipes from my grandmother, my aunts, my mom and some other relatives and friends of relatives from Richvale, a small rice farming town in Northern California where my mom grew up.  I enjoy cookbooks like this where the name of the recipe submitter is included and, in this case, it’s extra special to know some of those people.

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This is a really basic waffle recipe and one I will go to in the future on mornings that I feel making something special for breakfast that doesn’t take a lot of time.  I had the batter mixed up and the first set of waffles cooking in 10 minutes.  These waffles have good flavor and a nice crisp exterior that makes it hard not to tear a piece to taste after you take them off the iron.  I’d forgotten how much I loved waffles!  I’ll take them over pancakes any day.

I made some plain, a few with mini chocolate chips, just sprinkled them on top of the batter before I shut the top, and tried one with dollops of peach jam…it didn’t work out very well.  A big burnt mess.  I’d imagined it turning out better than that.  Oh well!

Top these with whatever your heart desires.  After cooking would’ve been a better time for jam!  The kids ate them plain, a little syrup for Carson.  I like mine with butter, berries, and a little powdered sugar.  If you’re really feeling ambitious, fresh sweetened whipped cream and berries makes for a super wonderful and amazing breakfast…or dessert…or afternoon snack.

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I used a classic round waffle iron, this one to be exact.  It hasn’t gotten a lot of use in it’s 7.5 years in my possession (it was a wedding gift) but I see myself using it more often now since it really isn’t much more trouble than pancakes.  Mine cleaned up easily since I used nonstick spray for each waffle.  I also used the wet paper towel trick, which I use on the panini press, after I was done.  So other than the effort to take it out of the cupboard, there isn’t much extra work involved.  I do lust after a Belgian waffle maker, but I wonder if it makes a whole lot of sense to own both.  I might have to open a weekend brunch spot in order to justify it.  Thoughts?

A special thanks to Betsy who helped me with the waffle photo shoot.  I let her have some after I was done photographing.  How could anyone say no to this face?!  She was way into the whipped cream.  Definitely my daughter.  Enjoy!

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Basic Buttermilk Waffles

From The Rice Farmers Cookbook

Ingredients

  • 1 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • Butter, syrup, berries, chocolate chips, powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, etc. for topping

Directions

  1. Heat waffle iron.
  2. Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  3. Beat wet ingredients together in a bowl until well combined.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until combined and all the flour is moistened, be sure to scrape the bottom of your bowl.
  5. Spray waffle iron with nonstick spray, then pour about 1/2 cup of batter into the center of the plate.  It should cover about 2/3 of the surface.  This depends on the size of your waffle iron, err on the side of too little the first time to test the waters.  Too much batter and you have a big mess.
  6. Close waffle iron and cook according to manufacturers instructions.  Serve immediately.  Can be reheated in a toaster or toaster oven.

Buttermilk Berry Muffins

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Most weekday mornings Ben is out of the house before I even roll out of bed.  He almost always has a bowl of cereal for breakfast.  He always uses one of our green soup bowls.  He is a creature of habit, and I love that about him.  But I changed up his routine this weekend.

This past Saturday I was up first and managed to throw together these muffins for breakfast.  They came together so quickly!  Buttermilk makes these muffins wonderfully moist.  The berries provide a burst of tart sweetness.  A little sprinkle of raw sugar gives a nice crunch without the extra work of making a streusel.  Yes, I am too lazy to make a simple steusel.

I used a combination of fresh raspberries and blueberries, about a cup of each.  Blackberries would also be delicious.  This recipe comes from The Joy of Baking.  Enjoy!

Buttermilk Berry Muffins

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • zest from 1 lemon
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk
  • 2/3 cup canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups fresh berries
  • 1/4 cup raw/turbinado sugar
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.  Prepare 18 regular size muffin cups with muffin cups or grease and sugar cups.
  2. Whisk flour, sugar, powder, soda, salt and lemon zest in a large bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk buttermilk, oil, egg and vanilla.
  4. Gently fold wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
  5. Fold in berries, being careful not to mash them too much.
  6. Fill each muffin cup almost full of batter.
  7. Sprinkle each with a little of the raw sugar.
  8. Bake for 20 minutes until just browned.

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Buttermilk Pecan Pie

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As some of you may know I have a bit of an obsession with Rebecca Rather and her bakery in Fredericksburg, Texas.  I saw her there once and I was starstruck!  She was signing a book for someone, and I thought about getting her to sign my face…but thought better of it.  OK, so I am not that obsessed.  Honestly though, the bakery is incredible and so is her Pastry Queen cookbook.  I have made a total of 16 recipes from it, and everything has been wonderful.  I know I’ve said this before, but it’s true.  No failures, no disasters, no disappointments to speak of.  Buy it now.

This last recipe that I tried from her cookbook was no exception to the rule of deliciousness.  Buttermilk Pecan Pie.  I love pecan pie.  My grandma June’s is by far my favorite.  Grandma June’s pie is a classic pecan pie with the corn syrup and yummy gooey center.  Rather’s buttermilk pie is creamier, with just a bit of gooey going on.  I am one who likes the gooey-ness, but some people are averse to pecan pie goo.  Crazy, I know.  So this would be a good alternative for those crazy goo hating people who like pecans and pie.

I did not make my own pie crust.  I am so very sorry.  I had a Pillsbury one in the freezer and was short on time, so I gave in and took a shortcut.  One day I will have the time to make everything from scratch all the time, but at this point in my life I do not have that kind of time!

Serve this pie with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Buttermilk Pecan Pie

Courtesy of The Pastry Queen cookbook

Ingredients
  • 1 ½  cup whole pecans or pecan pieces
  • 1 stick butter, room temperature
  • 1 ¼  cups granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • ¼  teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 un-baked pie crust
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place pecans on a cookie sheet and toast for 8-10 minutes or until aromatic. Let cool, then chop if using whole pecans.
  2. Reduce oven heat to 300 degrees F.
  3. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and both sugars. Beat in vanilla and then eggs, one at a time.
  4. Stir in flour and salt. Add buttermilk and stir until fully incorporated. Stir in pecans.
  5. Pour into pie shell.
  6. Bake for 1 hour 20 minutes, then let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.  This pie may also be chilled.

Eggnog Pie

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eggnog3The cookbook that gave me macaroon pie also gave me the base for this pie.  It is a buttermilk pie, but in putting it together I thought to myself, “What flavors could I add to this pie to make it less simple and plain?”  The answer from my creative inner self was…eggnog!  I had nutmeg and for some strange reason I had rum.  I think I’ve had this bottle for a few years and I’m not sure where it came from.  Anyway…  I figured this was a good plan.  After all, the holiday season is approaching and if the grocery store is selling eggnog, I can make an eggnog pie.

I have to admit something.  I don’t like drinking eggnog.  It makes me feel like I’m drinking melted ice cream.  A little too thick for my taste.  However, I do like things that are eggnog flavored.  I like eggnog ice cream.  While visiting my sister in New York one Christmas we went to Jacques Torres shop and I bought a box of holiday truffles.  The white chocolate eggnog truffle was spectacular.  If you’re in NYC this season you should stop by and get one…or more than one.  The gingerbread truffle was also very good.  Oh, and you have to buy the chocolate covered Cherrio’s that they sell!  I’m getting carried away now.

Anyway, I won’t drink a cup of eggnog, but I will eat something that takes like it.  It’s a texture thing I suppose.  I guess I am my mother’s daughter.  I’m not sure if this is acceptable or not, but I felt I should admit this character flaw to you.

I added some rum and nutmeg to the base of this pie.  I contemplated adding cinnamon, but ended up deciding against it.  Maybe I will try it next time.  I used a store bought pie crust to save some time.  I’ve tried my hand at making scratch pie crust before, and I don’t think it’s too terribly hard to make something edible, but achieving a perfect, buttery, flaky crust is no simple task.  It is also a rather time consuming process and makes a mess of your kitchen.  A weeknight dessert should not require a lot of cleaning up.  The refrigerated crusts taste pretty good, so I am OK using them every now and then.

I liked the flavor, and found it pretty similar to eggnog.  The crust had a good crunch, and the filling was smooth and creamy.  I served this with simple sweetened whipped cream (you can use cool whip in a time crunch).  A simple and easy pie.  It may not make you fall over and cry with delight, but it it good.  Try it without the nutmeg and rum for a simple buttermilk pie.

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Eggnog Pie

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3 tablespoons rum
  • 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • 1 unbaked pastry shell
  1. Combine sugar and flour in a large bowl.
  2. Mix in eggs, buttermilk, butter, vanilla, rum and nutmeg.
  3. Pour into pie shell.
  4. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes.
  5. Turn oven temperature down to 350° and bake for 30 minutes more.
  6. Let cool; serve with whipped cream.

Buttermilk Butternut Squash Spice Cake

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Vegetables are so versatile.  They can be enjoyed raw, roasted, steamed, fried, sautéed, boiled, and surely a few ways I’ve neglected to mention.  One of my favorite things about vegetables is that they can be enjoyed as a savory side dish, an entrée or in a sweet baked good.  The butternut squash in this cake adds moisture and texture, and a very subtle flavor of squash that is a nice complement to the tart buttermilk and sweet vanilla and spices.

I used a traditional bundt pan, which I greased and sugared.  This is my new favorite way to prep a pan for baked goods.  I used this method on a pan of blondies yesterday that came out beautifully.  The two batches I tried before stuck like crazy, but this sugaring thing seems to be pretty foolproof.

The batter was smooth and smelled wonderful even before it was baked.  I used 3/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice in the batter because I was out of ginger.  I think it worked well and still provided the fall spice flavor.

This is an easy recipe that can be prepared ahead of time since it needs to cool before applying the glaze.

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