Heidi's Maple Buttermilk Pie

Though I'd spotted this pie and pinned it to my recipes to try board a few months ago, I didn't do anything about it until after I'd eaten a slice.

Last month my cookbook club decided to shake things up and try a blog instead of a book. We chose Heidi Swanson's 101 Cookbooks. This Maple Buttermilk Pie was one of the stars that turned up.



The flavour of the filling is difficult to describe. Tangy comes to mind, but it's not sharp like a lemon tart - more of a gentle crème fraîche tang from the buttermilk, muted slightly by the warmth of the maple syrup. The filling sets to a thick and creamy consistency that slices easily.

After failing to write a recipe review post for August I thought I'd loosen it up and do them whenever I come across something interesting that's already online. I loved this pie at cookbook club so it seemed like the perfect thing to make and share with you. The combination of flavours intrigued me so I thought it'd be a good fit for the feel of the series.

I think this pie makes a great autumnal dessert - there's something about maple syrup at this time of year.



Some notes on the recipe:

- I did three turns of the pastry and made a half recipe so I didn't have extra. I didn't have any rye flour so I made it with plain flour. The crimping disappeared as the pastry puffed so I wouldn't bother with it again. I think I might try it with a non-flaky pastry another time (probably this one) - it's quicker and though the top ring of the crust is nice, I prefer non-flaky underneath the pie.

- I wasn't sure about making the filling before the shell had baked or cooled. I think another time I'd make it as the shell cools so that it's ready when it's needed rather than sitting around.

- Normally I make fake buttermilk by adding lemon juice but this time I wanted to have the proper thickness and flavour so I bought some (I found it in my local supermarket next to the milk). It's also worth seeking out grade B maple syrup - it's darker and has a stronger flavour than the normal grade A stuff.

- My filling was set (with a little wobble in the middle) and browning after 50 minutes, so I took the pie out.

- I think the filling tastes best the next day, cold from the fridge - the flavours develop overnight.



As Heidi's recipe is in cups, here are the measurements I used:

For the pastry:
125g plain flour
1/8 tsp fine sea salt
115g unsalted butter, cold
30-40ml cold water

For the filling:
6 egg yolks
30g plain flour
30g soft brown sugar
zest of a small lemon
160ml maple syrup (preferably grade B)
480ml buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp fine sea salt



Three more recipes that use maple syrup:
Maple Nutmeg Mini Madeleines
Baked Oatmeal
Ginger Bourbon Pecan Pie

Blackberry & Apple Crumble: a quick photo post

Blackberry & Apple Crumble

For the crumble:
70g plain flour
60g cold unsalted butter
40g light brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of fine sea salt

For the filling:
1 big cooking apple
3 or 4 small eating apples (preferably plucked straight from the tree)
a good squeeze of lemon juice - approx 1 tbsp
50g light brown sugar
a big handful of blackberries (preferably wild, plucked from the hedgerows with stained hands as you amble along on a Sunday walk)

Preheat the oven to 180C/350C. Tip the flour into a mixing bowl then cut the butter into small cubes. Add the cubes to the flour and rub in until most of the butter is worked in but you still have a few small lumps. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon and salt.

Fill a mixing bowl (I had to change the one in the photo above as it was too small) with water and add a good squeeze of lemon. Peel, core and chop the apples, placing the chopped bits into the lemon water so they don't brown while you do the rest (both types together weighed roughly 475g for me). Drain the apples the stir the brown sugar through. Tip half of the apples into a medium sized baking dish then scatter half of the blackberries on top. Add the remaining apple, then the remaining blackberries. Spread the crumble over the top in an even layer. Place in the oven and bake for around 30 minutes or until bubbling, the apple yields easily to a knife when poked and the topping is golden brown.

Serve slightly cooled but still hot with custard, ice cream or cream.

(Serves 4-5)



Three other apple posts:
2010: Spiced Apple Cake
2011: Apple & Quince Pie
2012: Apple Fritters