Fresh cherries, sweet buttermilk custard filling, and a buttery almond crust.
Buttermilk pie is a southern classic. It was born in the depression era when ingredients were scarce. It is made with common kitchen staples, sugar, eggs, butter, and buttermilk. I jazzed up this traditional recipe with some fresh cherries and a little almond flour in the crust.
This crust is made with a lot of butter. If the butter becomes too soft while cutting it into the flour, pop it into the fridge for 15 minutes before mixing in the wet ingredients. I added almond flour to the crust to accent the cherry’s natural flavor and buttermilk to keep with the theme of the pie.
To fill the crust, I line the bottom with the fresh cherries cut side down. Then, gently pour the custard over them, trying not to disturb their placement. Some of the cherries will rise to the top immediately, and the rest will rise during baking.
I like to place the pie on a sheet pan before baking. The pan helps to transfer this very full pie to the oven and makes rotating during baking easier.
The filling for this pie is a custard and needs to be baked until set. To check for doneness, gently shake the pan. If the filling wobbles, continue baking. If there is no wobble, the pie is done. This filling can be overbaked. If this happens, the custard will curdle, and the texture will be grainy, not smooth.
Cherry Buttermilk Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp buttermilk
Filling
- 25-30 cherries halved and pitted
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp orange juice
- 1/2 stick butter melted 4 tbsp
Instructions
Crust
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mix. Mix in the egg and the buttermilk. Knead the dough until smooth, shape into a disc, wrap, and refrigerate for 1-24 hours.
- Spray a 9 inch pie pan. Roll the dough into a 1/4 inch thick circle. Line the pan with the crust. Crimp the edges of the crust and refrigerate while making the filling.
Filling
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of the crust with cherry halves. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix in the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, butter, and orange juice.
- Pour the filling into the prepared crust and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the pie and bake for another 20-30 minutes or until custard has set. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate.
