Buttermilk Pie

I've only just recently become aware of this mostly southern dessert called a Buttermilk Pie.
During his winter break from college, my son Kris went down to visit my brother in Texas. He came back all excited about this pie, he told me, that was like nothing he'd ever eaten before and would I please make it!
So I searched online and found many recipes for it, each one a little bit different. The Food Network had Emeril's recipe for the pie and then there was one from Paula Deen, and so on.
After some comparison, I chose a recipe that used 1 cup of buttermilk rather than those recipes calling for only half a cup. I mean, it's a buttermilk pie! Let's use some buttermilk!
What I found consistent with all the recipes was the huge amount of sugar. Y'all like things sweet down south! I did cut down on the amount of sugar and I added some lemon zest, as I noticed some of the recipes used it. I think it cuts the sweetness a little bit. And it gives the pie a brighter taste.
Kris says it tastes just like he remembers, except for the lemon flavor. The texture of the filling isn't too smooth and custardlike, as I first thought it would be. It's kind of hard to describe. Delicious pretty much sums it up! I really love it and the top gets this thin, crunchy, browned, amazing texture. So good!

Start by creaming the butter and sugar in a mixer.

Add the flour and eggs and beat well.

Pour in the buttermilk and vanilla and mix that well.

I grated the zest of about half a lemon into the batter.

Then just pour the filling mixture into your unbaked pie shell.

I used a 9 1/2" glass deep dish pie plate. The filling will rise just a little as it bakes.

Look at that beautiful browned top..yum!

You may find you need to cover the crust with some foil toward the end of the baking to prevent the crust from becoming too brown.

Buttermilk Pie

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup ( 1 stick)butter, softened

4 - 5 tbsp. flour

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp. vanilla

zest of 1/2 lemon ( or about 1 tsp.)

1 unbaked pie shell

1. Cream butter and sugar in a mixer til light.

2. Add flour and eggs, beating well to combine.

3. Add buttermilk and vanilla and mix well, again to combine,.

4. Pour mixture into unbaked pie shell.

5. Bake 45 - 50 minutes. The top should be slightly crusty and brown and the pie will still be a little jiggly but will firm up as it cools.