Old Fashioned Custard Pie Adapted from Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and it is time to consider the other centerpiece of of this yummy holiday -- handmade pies.  Too many people serve icky store bought pies for this occasion.  I used the word handmade because part of making a beautiful pie includes working with your hands and thinking creatively.  This past weekend we celebrated our first Thanksgiving of the season with my dad's extensive family in and around Montague, Massachusetts.  My grandmother Elizabeth was a fine baker and much of what my dad learned and I have learned about baking is rooted in her incredible cookery.  Her Thanksgiving pies were famous in our family, everyone had their favorites that they looked forward to and Grams would add a new pie to her repertoire if your particular favorite wasn't on her regular list.  One of the pies requested during the various emails concerning our dinner was Gram's Custard Pie.  Unfortunately I don't have that recipe but I decided to look around for an old fashioned custard pie recipe.  I found one that looked interesting in Martha Stewart's "Pies and Tarts."  I have made many recipes from this book some with spectacular results (The Pear Frangipane Tart and The Lemon Curd Tart are two of my favorites). The Buttermilk Pie looked beautiful and sounded like something I could adapt easily.

As you can see from the picture this recipe made an enticing looking filling that formed a creme brulee like crust on the surface.  The leaves were simple to cut out and easy to fix onto the shell.  If you own a pie dish with a wide rim, this would make the leaf application easier.  I found when we were cutting the pie the leaves rolled around the edge making it difficult to remove them without breaking.  I used heavy cream and buttermilk powder in lieu of straight buttermilk the first time I made the pie.  I made it again using Kates's Buttermilk of Maine.  After tasting the pie a second time I would recommend eliminating the butter and the flour from Marthas's recipe. I substituted my crust recipe instead of the one in the book, I have always had good luck with it.  For this particular crust I used 1/2 cup of butter and 1/4 cup of shortening.

Crust (enough for two shells)

2 1/4 Cups Flour
3/4 Cup Shortening Or Unsalted Butter OR a combination of the the two (Chilled)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar (for this recipe but I don't usually use sugar in my crust)
3/4 Cup ICE water


Put flour in large bowl, add salt and sugar and combine thoroughly.   If using butter grate that into the flour and then combine.  Otherwise quickly work fat into flour with fingers.  You want it to resemble a fine crumb with the fat worked completely into the flour.  Now measure out 3/4 cup ice water.  Add this to your flour/fat mixture and quickly stir until just combined and it begins to form a ball.  If you are using butter and it is warm in your kitchen you may need to chill the crust before rolling it out.  This ball of dough should make 2 bottom crusts for pies.  I usually divide the dough in half and flatten out the piece of dough on a floured surface gently with my hands.  Then take a rolling pin (sprinkle a small amount of flour over the top surface of the dough in addition to underneath) and roll from the center out to the edge all the way around until you reach the desired size (a circle that is about 1 1/2 inches wider than your pie dish.  Gently fold the crust and move to the pie plate.  If you are making the leaves around the edge you can trim the crust to the edge of the plate other wise trim approximately 3/8" larger then the edge and roll that under the edge.  Pinch around the the plate with your thumbs and forefingers to make a zig-zag pattern around the pie.  If doing leaves.  Hand cut leaves from remaining pieces of dough, draw leaf patterns using a knife.  Brush bottom of each leaf with water and place on the edge of the pie. 

Buttermilk Custard Filling

1 Cup Buttermilk (or 1 cup heavy cream and 3 tablespoons buttermilk powder)
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
4 Eggs Slightly Beaten (you do not want to create too many bubbles or it will affect the consistancy of your
      custard.
1 Cup of Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
The zest from 1 Lemon
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Sprinkle of Nutmeg (just before baking)

Gently beat the eggs and salt.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly being careful not to create too many bubbles.  If you get bubbles allow the filling to rest or use a lighter to singe them from the surface.  Pour into crust and sprinkle with 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg.  Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees.  REDUCE heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until pie is set 20 or so minutes.  You can tell it is done if the whole surface jiggles uniformly when gently shaken.  The pie will rise during baking and then fall when you remove it from the oven.  Enjoy!  Monica