Lemon buttermilk pie

In this household, we love pie. As a kid, I much preferred cake, but now I'll take a slice of homemade pie over most other desserts - I especially like custard and cream pies.

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This lemon buttermilk pie was inspired by a post at The Merry Gourmet - it was one of those pies that as soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to make (and eat) it. 

This time of year I find myself often feeling rather uninspired when it comes to cooking. There's no fresh seasonal foods available yet, and I have used up most of my winter stash. Plus the weather varies from warm to cold almost every day, making it difficult to plan meals that fit the season. 

While not really local, you can still find good citrus this time of year, so I was feeling pretty excited about this lemony pie (lemon is one of my most favorite dessert flavors). Plus we had a bunch of farm fresh eggs, which make up a lot of the filling.

My little pie making helper (though she's a little blurry - I had to be quick!)

Lemon buttermilk pie
1 recipe for a single pie crust 
3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
scant 1 cup of granulated sugar, preferably unbleached
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest of one lemon
icing sugar for dusting, optional 

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Roll out your dough to about 11 inches round. Gently place in a 9-inch pie pan and fold over and crimp the edges. Place in the refrigerator until the filling is ready.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and yolk, sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Then add in the butter, buttermilk, vanilla, and lemon juice and zest and whisk until thoroughly combined. 

Pour the filling into the crust. Gently rap the pie plate on the counter to remove bubbles. Bake for about 55-60 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is set. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Serve at room temperature or chilled. Top with a dusting of icing sugar, if desired.