Lemon Chess Pie

I decided to use the leftover buttermilk for pie instead of pancakes. We really don't eat a lot of huge breakfasts and the pancakes would have just made us feel too full all day long.

I hate making pie crust, not because I don't like the way that it tastes. I hate the way it always falls apart on me. I really need to practice perfecting the transfer of my crust to the pie plate. This time, I tried to freeze the crust for a bit, thinking it would be easier for me. It wasn't...

The pie was a great dessert and we shared some of it with neighbors instead of keeping the whole thing for ourselves.

Pastry for a Single Crust Pie
1 1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled butter, cut up into small pieces
3 1/2 tablespoons ice water
Cooking spray

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.
2. Combine flour, sugar and salt into a large bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles course meal. Sprinkle surface with ice water, one tablespoon at a time. Toss with a fork until moist and crumbly (do not form into a ball).
3. Press mixture gently into a 4-inch circle on plastic wrap; cover with additional plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered into a 12-inch circle. Freeze 10 minutes or until plastic wrap can be removed.
4. Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap; fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Fold edges under. Bake at 425 for 10 minutes or until edge is lightly browned. Reduce oven temperature to 350F, cover with foil, and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Lemon Chess Pie Filling
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons lemon rind
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
1 cup buttermilk

1. Combine sugar and next six ingredients in a bowl. Stir with a whisk until well blended. Gradually stir in buttermilk. Pour mixture into crust. Bake at 350F for 40 minutes or until set. During the last 10 minutes of baking, cover the pie with foil.