Sharon Yingling serving her Buttermilk Pie

Field and Feast Buttermilk Pie recipe Play Now | Play in Popup

Long ago, pie crust was merely a vehicle for delivering what was found inside–be it sweet or savory. The pastry might have been an inch or more thick, and entirely inedible, at least by the noble folk, while the contents were often luxuriant and exotic.

Fortunately, today’s pies have light flaky crusts that are as good–and sometimes even better–than the fillings they support.

As National Pie Day is Monday, January 23, 2012, it just seemed apropos to offer up an old-fashioned, feel-good pie recipe (with a great crust), with more to come in February, which is National Pie Month.

Sharing a recipe with Field & Feast today is Sharon Yingling. Full disclosure: Sharon is my hair stylist.

When I’m in her chair we talk about food and cooking, and share recipes. During my last appointment Sharon told me about a buttermilk pie she makes that’s always a big hit with whoever has the good fortune of being in the same room with it. She went so far as to tell me it is always the first dessert to disappear on the sweets table at potlucks and holidays.

It’s not bragging if it’s true. So I asked her to make the pie for me.

This deceptively simple buttermilk pie recipe is quite tasty, and uses a “secret” ingredient that I never would have suspected. Sharon likes this pie REALLY sweet.  If I were making it for myself, I would back off on the sugar just a bit. Although, the sweetness did not stop me from having a piece of pie at her home where she made two of them (one with her vodka crust and another with a premade crust), and then bringing home four more pieces  for later.

What can I say? It’s pie!