Buttermilk Chess Pie

Recipes

Feb 4

In Ireland, lambing season coincides with Imbolc, an ancient pagan festival, now celebrated as St. Brigid’s Day at the beginning of February. The Imbolc festival was a significant agricultural event as it marked the halfway point between the winter solstice and spring equinox. In addition to lambing, farmers were busy preparing their fields for the first planting of early crops. Milk and butter, along with lemon and eggs which signify the sun, are traditional foods for Imbolc or St. Brigid’s Day celebrations.

We bring them all together in our delicious Buttermilk Chess Pie, featured in Chef Ouita Michel’s cookbook, Just A Few Miles South, Timeless Recipes from Our Favorite Places .

Ingredients:

a 9” pie crust*, blind baked
3 large eggs
½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 ½ cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F

In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add butter, sugar, flour and salt. Then add buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice and nutmeg (if using). Mix to combine. Pour into the cooled pie shell. Bake for 40 minutes or until the center is firm and set when lightly touched.

Cool on a wire rack before serving.

*use your favorite recipe or take it easy on yourself and buy one pre-made