Buttermilk Pie

I was skeptical, but tempted by this recipe in Southern Living.  I decided to make it for Mother's Day dessert and was glad I did.  It was really good, with a good hint of lemon in the flavor.  The crust was definitely my favorite part!

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp table salt
6 Tbsp cold butter, cubed
3 Tbsp cold shortening, cubed
4-5 Tbsp ice water

Pulse first 3 ingredients in food processor 3-4 times or until combined.  Add butter and shortening and pulse 8-10 times or until mixture resembles coarse meal.  Drizzle 4 Tbsp ice water over mixture; pulse 4-5 times or until dough clumps together, adding up to 1 tsp ice water at a time (don't exceed 1 Tbsp), if necessary.  Gently shape dough into a flat disk.  Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 4oo degrees.  Roll dough into a 12 inch circle on a floured surface.  Fit into a 9 inch pie plate; crimp edges.  Prick bottom and sides with a fork  Line pastry with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.  Bake at 400 for 10 minutes.  Remove weights and parchment paper and bake 8-10 more minutes, until lightly browned.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

For the filling:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp loosely packed lemon zet
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees  Whisk together the first 2 ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk eggs and next 5 ingredients into flour mixture.  Pour into crust.  Bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until almost set, shielding edge with aluminum foil after 15 minutes.  Transfer to wire rack and cool 1 hour.

Serve with fresh berries!