Thursday, March 04, 2010

Yummy Kentucky March Recipes

In Texas, March has come in like a lamb, with mild temperatures and sunny days - so far. I'm looking forward to springtime when there are no more freezing nights, snow or ice storms. Of course, the winter storms here in the Dallas area aren't nearly as bad as the ones I grew up with in Louisville, Kentucky. The wind whipping down from the upper midwest, through the Ohio River Valley, could freeze your mittens in no time flat!



I'd like to share two wonderful Kentucky recipes with you, both made with buttermilk. The first is from a cookbook my sister sent me in 1974 when I lived in Denver. My husband had mentioned his grandmother making buttermilk pies when he was a boy, and I found this recipe in my Out of Kentucky Kitchens cookbook by Marion Flexner, Bramhall House. Here's a photo from last Thanksgiving, along with my daughter's pecan pie.





Buttermilk Pie





Make (or buy) a pie crust and place in a 9 inch pie pan. Prick the surface to keep from blistering and bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees. It should be done but not brown.



Filling
3 eggs 3/4 t. vanilla
3/4 C. sugar 3 T. lemon juice
3 T. flour Grated rind of 1 lemon
3 T. melted butter (or substitute 1/2 t. dried lemon peel)
(no substitutes) Cinnamon to dust top
1 1/2 C. buttermilk
Beat the eggs with the sugar. When light and lemon-colored, add the flour. Beat again, then pour this mixture into the buttermilk. Add vanilla, lemon juice, grated rind and butter. Pour the filling into the baked pie crust and dust the surface with cinnamon. Return to the oven at 375 degrees and bake until filling just sets. (Usually this is about 20 -25 minutes, but check by inserting a toothpick in the center; it should come out clean if the filling is set.) Do not cook too long because this is a custard and can get too tough. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving.



This pie is also excellent cold the next morning for breakfast with a hot cup of coffee or tea!


The second recipe is one I made for my daughter's birthday a few weeks ago. This is from allrecipes.com. I baked this cake in a bundt cake pan and it turned out great.

Kentucky Butter Cake
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour (or spray) a 10 inch bundt cake pan.
3 C. unbleached all purpose flour 2 t. vanilla extract
2 C. sugar 4 eggs
1 t. salt 1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda 1 C. buttermilk
1 C. (2 sticks) butter

In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix in buttermilk, butter, vanilla and eggs. Beat 3 minutes at medium speed. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

Bake 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Prick holes in the still warm cake. Pour the sauce (recipe follows) over the cake and let it cool before removing it from the pan.

Butter Sauce
3/4 C. sugar 1/3 C. butter
2 t. vanilla 3 T. water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until fully melted and combined, but DO NOT BOIL.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

My mouth is watering right now. I'll have to try the Butter Cake. Thanks for sharing these recipes.

Gillian Layne said...

Love me some Buttermilk pie! And the thought of leftovers made me laugh. :) Ha! That's what midnight kitchen raids are for...

Unknown said...

Gillian, you are so right! What's the use of all that baking if there are no leftovers to sneak out of the kitchen? :-)

Unknown said...

Angela, you're welcome. Enjoy the cake!

Sara said...

Both of those recipes look wonderful...

Is buttermilk pie similar to a custard pie???

Unknown said...

I think I gained 5 pounds just reading the recipes Vicki!

Nicole's Book Musings said...

Both sound delicious, I'll definitely be giving these a try. Thanks for sharing them!

Linda Henderson said...

These sound great. I will definitely have to try them.

Unknown said...

Sara, a buttermilk pie is a custard. It's not as sweet as a chess pie, though. I find those way too sweet. You can actually use a little less sugar in the buttermilk pie and it still comes out great. I haven't tried it with Splenda but if anyone wants to cut down on sugar, I'd use about half and half sugar/Splenda at first.

Unknown said...

Dale, the buttermilk pie isn't too calorie-rich. Now, the butter cake certainly is! Still, for a special treat, they are a tasty indulgence.

Virginia C said...

Thank you for the wonderful recipes! Buttermilk just adds that extra goodness : ) I am from VA, but I appreciate fine Southern cooking from KY!