Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Mrs. Mary's Spicy Chocolate Buttermilk Pie

Having a 'fan' page on Facebook for an ongoing commentary on a slice of life in the Deep South has been an incredible blessing.  Folks (much preferred description than fans) come by to say "Hi" and mostly stick around.  A handful leave, the slice of life not always palatable.  It's okay.  I've left a few pages behind, myself.  The people at FB?  They're not fans:  they're friends.  They comment, share links, like photos of cakes, love Mama (a biggie in my book).  We're there for each other like long-lost kissing cousins.

They've become real friends too:  call-up-on-the-phone-and-talk-'til-the-battery-dies friends.  Mrs. Mary is one of those friends.  Weeks and weeks ago we were chatting on FB about favorite pies and the developing trend of fine chocolates with a heat source in them and she piped up with a comment about a chocolate buttermilk pie with a little pop to it;  then she came up with a recipe!

Despite having adhered to a very strict diet for going on four months,
this piece of pie broke extreme will-power as if it
had never existed.  I ate it.  And licked the plate.

It's a little different from the buttermilk pie usually made here.  This recipe has no flour but twice as many eggs.  It does have a smooth but coarse-custard texture (probably from the cocoa powder?) and is ever so bewitching that I'm having a difficult time not evening up the edges on it (a sure way to consume half of it at one sitting).  And the cayenne in it??? ohhhh wowzers.  It's not hot.  It's a warmth that develops on the tongue after the first few bites that makes the chocolate a deep richness that's indescribable.  Really!

Those are the ingredients in the photo but just in case they won't load for you here's a list:
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, melted
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 eggs, beaten until lemony-yellow light
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (I know - the dry erase board has tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
TWO unbaked deep dish pie shells 

Melt chocolate chips in microwave, set aside (oops - use your imagination to see chocolate chips in the microwave please).

Combine all dry ingredients and stir thoroughly.  
See the vanilla in the medicine dispenser?  They're awesome
for being able to measure flavors in to prevent fumbling with
spoons at the last moment.

And don't forget the cocoa powder to stir in too!  Take extra care to make sure all lumps from the cocoa powder have been broken up and all the dry ingredients are well-mixed.
Most everybody knows dark chocolate is favored here at Mayree's.
This is Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa powder.
Use what you and your family loves.

Beat eggs until a light lemon-ish color and almost foamy.
Any time the hand mixer is out and being used, the mixing gets done
with the bowl down in the sink.  A bunch of wiping from splatters on
the kitchen walls and cabinets is saved by doing this.

Very slowly add dry ingredients until all are well-incorporated.
I ran out of hands to take a photo of the slow process.

It's smelling fine already!
Mix in the melted chocolate chips.

The intense flavor from the dark chocolate chips is called for in this recipe 
but if you really only like milk chocolate or
**shudder** white chocolate, by all means, go for it.

Add the buttermilk

And the vanilla, giving it one last mixing.

Pour into two unbaked deep dish pie shells.
Don't give me a hard time about not making my own crusts:
I don't have to do everything.

Bake at 350 Fahrenheit for approximately 40 minutes (my oven is a little cool so it may take less time) until the centers are set.  A knife will come out clean when they're done.
 These crusts are full.  Do yourself a favor and put them in
another pan to bake them in.  They didn't bake over,
but the possibility is definitely there.

I couldn't wait until they cooled until even warm.  I ate it hot!
 This piece of pie contains more refined sugars in one slice
than I've put in my body since the Fambly Reunion the
first weekend in June.  And it was worth ever
gram of it!

There you have it!

The top has a playful crunchy crust on it that belies the custard-y and densely-chocolate-y richness beneath.  There's the barely tale tell flavor of the traditional buttermilk pie but it's secondary to the chocolate.  And the cayenne and cinnamon?  I used Penzey's Ceylon Cinnamon but wish I had used their Vietnamese cinnamon to give a stronger presence.  The cayenne is just the right amount.  This small amount isn't hot at all, truly enriching the dark chocolate and leaving a warmth on the tongue that's absolutely exquisite.

This isn't a difficult pie to put together at and the recipe makes TWO (a bonus in my book).  Make your family one this evening.  Better yet, make yourself one this evening.   You'll be glad you did.

Y'all enjoy!
Mary











4 comments:

  1. Now THAT'S what I'm talking about. What a great recipe. I'm made a bushel basket full of Buttermilk Pies but never a chocolate buttermilk pie. Thanks for sharing Mayree and Miss Mary!

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  2. I made this pie and it was AWFUL, so I thought "nothing she makes is bad so what did I do wrong", so I looked at the recipe and there was no mention of sugar. So I came back to the blog and it shows sugar on the board, but under the ingredients list and directions, makes no mention of it. So I am not a quitter and am determined to have a do over tonight. I should learn to pay closer attention the board!! I can't wait for an actual SWEET chocolate buttermilk pie. I also made an apple buttermilk pie that is in the oven right now, can't wait for that one to get done.

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    Replies
    1. ohhhhh no! Jennifer, I didn't even realize that it was left out of the ingredients list on the post. I've remedied the situation. Thank you SO much for making the pie (sans sugar) and letting me know about the snafu with the ingredients LIST. The photo of 'combining the dry ingredients' shows it -- but no mention of it... Yikes. Thank you, again!

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  3. I am so glad you fixed it and I wasn't really crazy. You know, as a southern girl who has baked all her life, don't you think I'd have caught that there was no sugar in it? I do have to tell you though, that one bite was very buttermilky, and not good. I'm so glad I found the blog to double check. I am trying it again tonight WITH the sugar. I have to tell you though, the Apple Buttermilk pie is to die for, I could eat the whole thing, but I won't, I'm going to make my neighbors happy tomorrow. Thanks so much, and it will certainly make me more observant the next time I am writing down a recipe. LOVE your recipes!!

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