A Tangy Creamy Filling Encased in an All Butter Pie Crust
This recipe came about because I woke up one morning thinking about a recipe I’d read years ago. I couldn’t remember where I read it, but after searching around on the web and deciding none of the recipes I found were exactly what I had in mind, I came up with this one on my own.
This time I used Jacques Pepin’s wonderful all butter pie crust recipe. His recipe is usually the one I go to when I decide to make a pie and don’t have a disc of Milk Street’s recipe in my freezer. Jacque’s recipe can be made and used immediately, whereas Milk Street’s needs to chill for at least and hour, and I’ve never had it fail on me. I baked this in a 15 1/2 inch x 11 inch sheet pan.
I’m sure it could be made in a 13 inch x 9 inch sheet pan, too. The pie would just be a little thicker. I wanted this to be thin, more like a bar. Because I had rolled out the dough so thinly in order for it to fit into the pan, it didn’t require any pre-baking. Even with the creamy filling it baked up nice and crisp.
The filling ended up being tangy from buttermilk and lemon with the cardamom adding a beautifully fragrant undertone. I think it’s important to use slightly crushed cardamom seeds, rather than ground cardamom. The impact is more profound when you bite into one of those crunchy bits than it would be if the cardamom were simply ground. I’m also lucky enough to have a high quality full fat buttermilk available in my grocery store and I think this contributed to the great end result of this venture.
Strawberries seemed like a natural pairing with the other flavors and worked well here. A really lovely dessert that lasted well for a few days.
Here is a link to Jacques Pepin’s pie crust recipe.
Buttermilk Slab Pie with Cardamom and Strawberries
8 - 10
servingsHow about a slab pie filled with buttermilk custard inside an all butter pastry crust and topped with fresh strawberries? Not bad, eh?
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Ingredients
1 recipe Jacques Pepin's All Butter Pie Crust/Or your favorite pie crust recipe
1 stick salted butter (8 tablespoons), softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, room temperature
2 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cardamom seeds, lightly crushed
1 quart strawberries, cleaned, capped, and sliced in half
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves for garnish, optional
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack in the center. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough to a rectangle sized 18 inches x 14 inches. Place the rolled out dough in a 15 1/2 inch x 11 inch sheet pan, patching any cracks. Fold the overhanging dough inward and crimp with a fork or your fingers. Place in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the filling.
- Using either a stand mixer or a hand beater, beat the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition until until well mixed. Mix in the flour. On low speed add the buttermilk, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and cardamom seeds. Pour into the chilled crust and bake for 50 minutes or until the top is golden. Let cool and top with the strawberries and optional mint leaves. Enjoy!
2 Responses
This sounds like the perfect dessert for the first lunch outside on the porch. I’m not at that stage, weatherwise or strawberry-wise, yet, but it’s coming.
Elizabeth, we need to arrange a situation wherein I will be a member of your guest list for that first lunch outside on the porch.