Martha's Buttermilk Pie

Glad to see you at my Red Couch today where I am serving Buttermilk Pie, which is really one of my favorite pies.  Such simple ingredients combine to make such a flavorful and luscious pie.  I have been making it for many years.  The recipe is one of Martha Stewart's own and is in my copy of her book Pies & Tarts -- real pie and tart eye candy.

Recipe for Martha's Buttermilk Pie

One unbaked 8-1/2-inch pie shell, well chilled, plus additional pie crust for the leaves that line the edge of the pie.  You can make homemade crust or buy a frozen crust and some pie crust dough in a box for the leaves.

To make the leaves, I used a Nordic Ware leave cutout; you can also freehand it.

The pie shell with leaves affixed.

 1-1/4 cups sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted then cooled  slightly.  I use salted butter.

1 cup buttermilk

Zest of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Freshly grated nutmeg to taste -- or nutmeg from the spice container.  I don't add a lot, but I love it in the pie.

Egg Yolk Glaze:  1 egg yolk beaten with 2 teaspoons water.

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2.  Affix the pastry leaves around the edge of the pie crust with cold water.  Brush the top of the leaves with the egg yolk glaze.  Refrigerate pie crust until it is ready to be filled.

3.  Combine the sugar and the flour in a large mixing bowl.  Add the beaten eggs and mix well.  Stir in the butter and the buttermilk.  Stir in the lemon rind and juice, vanilla, and nutmeg, and pour in the prepared pie shell.  Place the pie in the center of the oven for 15 minutes.  Lower the heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for approximately 40 minutes, or until the filling is set.  Remove from the oven and serve at room temperature.

Red Couch Notes: As all ovens vary, watch the baking times carefully. I baked my pie for about a total of 45 minutes, which is less than Martha indicated. I also put a foil collar on the edges after awhile so the leaves wouldn't burn.

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The pie is ready to be served.

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You can add some raspberry sauce and raspberries to top it -- yum!

I hope you bake some pie today.  Thanks for stopping by Red Couch Recipes.

Posted with the following:  Rednesday, Wow Us Wednesday, Foodie Friday, Weekend Wrapup

Daisy Pie Crisps

On Sunday, I made little individual berry pies for the family.  While I was browsing Pinterest, my daughters -- on their own, were taking the pie scraps and made these cute little bite-sized daisies.  It reminded me of when I was a young girl making cinnamon sugar pie triangles from my mom's pie scraps.  So  I decided to make some more because they were so cute.

I used the medium Wilton Daisy Fondant Cutter.  Using pie crust was way easier to use than sugar cookie dough -- the pie crust doesn't stick on the cutter.  Obviously, the possibilities are only limited by your fondant or cookie cutter selection. 

Lots of little bite-sized daisies.

Talley applied the cinnamon and sugar for me.

Lots of fun for grands and children.

Thanks for dropping by my Red Couch and sitting for awhile.

Posted with the folowing:  Foodie Friday, Home Sweet Home, Full Plate Thursday, Sweets for a Saturday, Weekend Wrapup, Made By You Monday, Menu Plan Monday, Market Yourself Monday, Wow Us Wednesday

Lemon Velvet Cream Pie

Welcome to Red Couch Recipes and to Lemon Week!

I made this lemony dream of a pie for a family picnic held yesterday.  The pie was tart with lemony goodness tempered with just a bit of cream -- just my kind of dessert for a warm summer day.  Just for the record, anything that contains sweetened condensed milk is just fine with me.  

Recipe for Lemon Velvet Cream Pie

Source:  November 2010 Better Homes and Garden Magazine

Pie Crust -- I made a Graham Cracker Crust and used a springform pan.

1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin (Knox -- near the Jell-O section)

2 tablespoons cold water

6 egg yolks

1-1/2 (14 ounces) cans sweetened condensed milk (2 cups)

1/4 cup whipping cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (It took about 3 lemons)

Whipped Cream for garnish -- I piped it using a large star tip

Lemon slivers for garnish

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2.  In a small bowl soften gelatin for 5 minutes.  Heat in microwave for about 14 seconds and set aside.  The gelatin will help so that the pie won't sink while baking.

3.  In a large bowl, combine egg yolks, and sweetened condensed milk.  With an electric mixer, beat on high speed 2 -3 minutes until well combined.  Beat in gelatin, whipping cream, and salt on low speed.  Add lemon juice and beat on low speed for 30 seconds.  Pour mixture into prepared pie crust.  

4.  Bake 22- 25 minutes or until center of pie looks set when gently shaken; cool on wire rack for 1 hour.  Cover loosely and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

5.  Top with whipping cream and lemon slivers.   

As I was removing the pie from the cakestand, I dropped the pie on the table!  Not to worry, I still brought the pie to the picnic!  When you have lemons, make lemonade!


You might want to check out a few of my other lemon recipes.  Just click the title or look on my sidebar and click on "Citrus" in the archives.

Lemon Buttermilk Pudding Cake

Lemon Cornmeal Cake

Thanks for dropping by Red Couch Recipes for Lemon Week ;)!

Posted with the following:  Wow Us Wednesday, Weekend Wrapup

Sour Cream Blueberry Pie and Northern California

Just back from a great family trip to Northern California.  My husband was born and raised there and four of our five children were born there.  I lived there for 13 years.  Welcome to Northern California Week at Red Couch Recipes!  I will be showing you the highlights of our Northern California trip and providing recipes inspired by the sights and tastes of Northern California.  Also welcome to Blue Week at Jenny Matlock's Rainbow Summer School.  You can't get much bluer than blueberries!

Beautiful Lake Tahoe

Our first stop on our trip was to swim in Lake Tahoe.  Lake Tahoe is a great place to spend a day.  When we lived in California, Lake Tahoe was a favorite!  The water is clean and clear!  It is the second deepest lake in the United States. Come early because parking gets filled up quickly!  The water is a bit chilly, but not too chilly for me!

Talley, Our Youngest, Enjoying Lake Tahoe

Apple Hill...Apples, Berries and a Whole Lot of Fun!
Leaving Tahoe and coming down Highway 50 we drove around the windy roads of  Apple Hill.  Apple Hill is a collective of 50 different farms that sell apples, of course, and blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries; some of the farms offer U-pick.  We used to live about 20 minutes away from Apple Hill and went there often.  Although some of the farms are open all summer, Apple Hill really gets kicking in the fall with pumpkins, cider donuts, unpasteurized apple cider (yummy), and pies.  On the weekends, there are arts and crafts for sale.  We almost didn't stop to pick any fruit until my youngest said that it "would wreck the trip, " if we didn't.  She was right....we loved picking and eating these berries fresh off the bushes!

Raspberry Bushes at Apple Hill

Freshly picked Apple Hill Blueberries!

Years ago I acquired this recipe for Sour Cream Blueberry Pie from one of the farms at Apple Hill, Bolster's Hilltop Ranch.  They hold a blueberry festival at Bolster's  each year in June.  It is a delicious pie recipe.  Inspired by the mini pies in Mason jars made by Yvonne at Stone Gable, I made the pies mini-sized.  I used my 6-ounce ramekins and the recipe made 8 lovely little pies.  This pie tastes best if stored in the fridge overnight; the flavors meld together and it is wonderful!  It is a scrumptious creamy version of blueberry pie.  If you don't have blueberries, you can use another fruit.

Recipe for Sour Cream Blueberry Pie

Pie Crust Recipe for 9 or 10-inch pie

Pie Crust Filling

2 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 cups blueberries

1 cup whipping cream, not whipped

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Crumb Crust

1/2 cup butter

1 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

Instructions for Pie Filling:  Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.  In a separate bowl mix the egg, whipping cream, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla together.  Slowly combine the sugar mixture with the whipping cream mixture.  Mix until smooth and then add the blueberries.   Make the pie crust and roll out flat.  Cut out pie rounds that are bigger in size , by at least 1/2-inch, than your ramekins (I used my 10 ounce Pyrex bowls).  

 Place crust in bottom of ramekin, pricking bottom with a fork. 

 Add around 5 tablespoons blueberry pie mixture to each ramekin.   Instructions for Crumb Crust:  Mix the butter, flour, and sugar until it is mixed well and resembles large cracker crumbs.  Top the ramekins with crumbs. 

 Baking Instructions:  Bake for about 8 minutes in a 425 degree oven, then reduce heat to 350 and then bake for about 20 minutes more.  Cool.  You can invert these and serve without the ramekin or serve in the ramekin.  You can also make this pie in a 9-inch pie pan,, but I just love the minis!

Now let's cut into the pie and take a little wedge!

Thank you for dropping by and joining me on my Red Couch for Northern California Week!  Hope you like the pie....it is a winner in my family! Oops, I spilled a little blueberry pie on the couch....and you KNOW how blueberries stain so I better say good by until tomorrow where we will continue our trip in Northern California to the city where we DID leave our heart! 

Posted belatedly with the following'

Skip to My Lou's Made By You Monday

The Girl Creative's Just Something I Whipped Up Monday

Fudge Ripple's Tuesday Night Supper Club

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam's Tasty Tuesday

Jenny Matlock's Rainbow Summer School