SOURCE: FINE COOKING #32 (ALSO AT FINECOOKING.COM)
After baking a third chocolate chess pie during COVID-19 quarantine, and with half a container of buttermilk in the fridge, it was time to try buttermilk pie, another southern US classic dessert (although originally from the UK).
Having never had buttermilk pie, I wasn’t sure what to expect. But the results were definitely worth repeating: tart and tangy, mostly from the buttermilk, but reinforced by a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and airy enough that a large slice after dinner isn’t too much. The pie is done cooking when the filling develops a picture-perfect golden brown crust.
Unlike most custard pies, this can be served warm from the oven (so it doesn’t need hours chilling), but most people say it’s best once it’s cooled to room temperature (still no chilling required). After all, buttermilk pie dates back to a time when refrigeration wasn’t readily available.