Raspberry Buttermilk Slab Pie
Try this Raspberry Buttermilk Slab Pie recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Raspberry Buttermilk Slab Pie recipe, or contribute your own.
- eggs
- cups all-purpose flour
- teaspoon sea salt
- tablespoons sugar in the rawâ®
- cup cold butter (2 sticks) cut into cubes
- cup ice water
- cup sugar in the rawâ® plus 2 tablespoons divided
- egg white whisked with 2 teaspoons cool water
- cups buttermilk
- cup butter melted
- tablespoon lemon juice
- teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- teaspoons cornstarch
- cups fresh raspberries
- Carbohydrate 234.6476125 g
- Cholesterol 42.8287499999999 mg
- Fat 4.037675 g
- Fiber 8.55950015082955 g
- Protein 32.295875 g
- Saturated Fat 0.795023749999999 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (353g)
- Sodium 3983.23 mg
- Sugar 226.08811234917 g
- Trans Fat 1.16878375 g
- Calories 1128 calories
Step-by-step
- To the bowl of a food processor or a large mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse a few times or whisk to combine. Add butter and pulse until dough is crumbly and butter is in pea-sized pieces; or use a pastry blender or two knives to cut butter into the flour. Add half the ice water and pulse or stir to combine. Add the rest of the water a little at a time until the dough just comes together in a shaggy ball. Remove dough to a work surface and knead very lightly just until dough forms a smooth ball. Flatten dough into a rectangle, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Lightly grease a 13 x 9½ x 1 baking sheet or jelly roll pan. Preheat oven to 375ËšF. Lightly flour work surface and place chilled dough on it. Roll out dough, applying even pressure with a rolling pin, into a rectangle 2 inches larger than the baking sheet on all sides. If dough cracks, let it warm up for a few minutes before continuing. Patch any holes or large cracks with excess dough. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and transfer to baking sheet. Trim edges of dough to have a ¾â€ overhang, and crimp the edges. Poke dough all over with a fork, and chill 30 minutes. Line dough with parchment and fill to the brim with pie weights or dried beans. Blind bake crust until the edges are brown and set, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove pie weights and parchment, brush with egg white, and return to oven 5 minutes more to set bottom of crust.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, butter, lemon juice, and vanilla. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Whisk sugar mixture into buttermilk mixture to combine. Sprinkle raspberries over pie crust and pour custard over them. Brush crust edges with more egg wash and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350ËšF and bake 35-40 minutes or until edges are set and the center of the custard jiggles slightly, like gelatin. Remove to a cooling rack and cool completely before cutting. Refrigerate any leftovers.
Achieving structural integrity in a slab pie requires treating the butter as a physical leavening agent rather than merely a source of fat, keeping solid pieces roughly the size of peas so that melting water turns to steam pockets in a 375 degree oven. When cutting the cold butter into the flour by hand or with a food processor, work quickly to prevent ambient kitchen heat from softening the dairy fats prematurely. Chilling the shaped dough for at least one hour allows the gluten strands to relax, which drastically minimizes shrinkage and cracking when rolled out onto a 13 by 9.5-inch baking sheet. Blind baking the crust with pie weights until the edges turn golden brown sets the bottom against the heavy moisture of fresh berries, while brushing the warm surface with a whisked egg white acts as an impermeable moisture barrier.
Integrating fresh raspberries directly into the pastry base before pouring the liquid custard guarantees even distribution without sinking or bruising the delicate fruit cells. Whisking cornstarch thoroughly with granulated sugar prior to combining with the buttermilk, eggs, and melted butter prevents clumping, relying on starch gelatinization during the secondary bake at 350 degrees to firm the filling properly. Pulling the pan when the center still jiggles slightly, resembling soft gelatin rather than liquid, prevents overcooking the dairy proteins into a grainy texture as residual heat finishes the set. Allow the pastry to cool completely on a wire rack before portioning into squares, and store any remaining portions in the refrigerator to maintain food safety standards for custard-based desserts.
