Yuma Foodie utilizes once despised ingredient

As a child one of my despised chores was to churn the cream into butter. This called for a glass butter churn full of cream, about a half hour and my arm to turn the crank.

I would moan and groan but in the end Mom would prevail and there I would sit churning the butter.

As I think back on this I remember the feeling of accomplishment I would feel as the butter would form, holding onto the blades separating from the buttermilk as it would settle in the bottom of the container. My mother would then drain and work out any leftover buttermilk from the butter, salt it and put it in the fridge for us to use.

In my child’s brain that buttermilk had to be horrible; it was a leftover from a despised chore. I would cringe as my dad would sprinkle salt and pepper on it and drink it and the lines it left on the glass just reconfirmed my uneducated opinion.  

Now let’s advance a few years. Recipes calling for buttermilk were avoided and if I really had to use it I found a powdered buttermilk that I could just add water to or add lemon to milk. My memory of buttermilk was not a warm and fuzzy one and I did not want to cook with something that I thought was less than good.

I begin my career as a personal chef and in looking for new recipes in my chef’s association I find recipe after recipe using buttermilk and the comments my peers have left is letting me know I am missing out on an ingredient that must make food taste good.

So my research begins.

Buttermilk is found in two varieties, the first being ‘churned buttermilk,’ which is the leftover liquid from churned butter. Then there is cultured buttermilk, which is made by adding a bacterial culture to low fat or non-fat milk.

Buttermilk is acidic, slightly tart and sour in taste, low in fat, and can be tolerated by people with lactose intolerance since some of the lactose is fermented by bacteria.

The history of buttermilk is that in homesteads, nothing went to waste and this included the liquid leftover from churning butter, hence the name of buttermilk. Combined with the natural airborne bacteria, this buttermilk would thicken and sour, giving it a pleasing tangy flavor. The women found many uses for this leftover liquid, including using it as a facial wash. They believed that the flecks of butter resulted in a smooth and creamy complexion.

Now I have converted to using real buttermilk to marinate chicken, pork and fish as it produces very moist and flavorful meat. I have used it in baking as it adds an unbelievable lightness to pancakes, cakes and biscuits. But to eat just cooked buttermilk, that would be like taking that first drink of buttermilk. Memories die hard but I have vowed to try every taste that comes my way.

While enjoying a anniversary dinner at the Radisson I was offered a piece of ‘Buttermilk Pie.'

From the kitchen, the waiter brought us a slice of pie. It was white with a browned top. Nothing fancy, no berries, no swirl of something to make the buttermilk taste… I didn’t know but I just couldn't imagine this tasting good. I took a bite. 'Oh my gosh this has to be the best tasting piece of pie I have ever had.' I let my husband have his bite, then slowly savored every last crumb.

I found four different recipes and baked them all. From those I have come up with my own recipe and I do think it is even better than the aforementioned one. If you have never had buttermilk pie you must give this recipe a try. It is sweet and velvety, with a crisp carmelization of sugar on the top. Eat it chilled and don’t add berries or swirl.  This pie is wonderful and stands well all by itself. I hope you give this one a try.  
I have also included two of my other wonderful recipes using buttermilk.

Oh and I did have that first glass of buttermilk while the pie was baking. I closed my eyes and drank it down. Not bad, sweet and tangy, give it a try as your buttermilk pie bakes.     
                      

Buttermilk Pie
4 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter and partially cooled
1 tsp vanilla extract
2/3 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1 T flour
2 cups buttermilk more or less

 1 9" pie crust, pricked all over and prebaked until it starts to puff up - about 10 minutes at 450°

 Break eggs into a blender. Turn on and blend for a few seconds, drizzle in the butter while the blender is running, add the vanilla, half the buttermilk, sugar, salt and flour. Add enough of the remainder of the buttermilk to end up with 3 cups in the blender. That's all that fits in a 9" pie.
  Have oven pre-heated to 375°. Pour filling into pie shell, sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg and put in oven. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees. Turn the oven off and leave it for 30-35 minutes. Cool on a rack and put in the refrigerator to chill before serving.
                                                          
                   
Oven Fried Chicken w/Cornmeal Crust
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 T grated lemon zest
1/4 cup olive oil
2 T fine minced shallots
1 T chopped fresh thyme or rosemary
1 T kosher salt
1 T chile powder
1 3 lb. chicken, cut into serving pieces
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup bread crumbs
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese
3 T minced fresh parsley or basil
2 eggs, beaten with 2 Tablespoons water
2 T unsalted butter -- melted

Whisk buttermilk, lemon juice, 1 t. of the lemon zest, olive oil, shallots, thyme, 2 t. of salt and 2 t. of chile powder. Add chicken, turning pieces to coat. Marinate, refrigerated four hours.

Combine cornmeal, bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley and the remaining lemon zest, salt and chile powder. Remove chicken from marinade and drain briefly. Coat pieces in the egg-water mixture and dredge in cornmeal mixture, patting to coat. (Can be prepared up to this point three hours in advance and kept uncovered in refrigerator.)

Preheat oven to 425. On lightly oiled baking pan, arrange the chicken skin side up. Drizzle w/the butter. Bake 35 mins., until crisp and golden. Remove to paper towels and drain. Serve warm or at room temp.
                      

Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup buttermilk
4 large eggs
1/4 cup butter -- melted and cooled

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in mixing bowl.

In separate bowl, blend buttermilk, eggs and butter. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture and stir until batter is evenly moistened.

Cook on griddle as you normally would.

They are really good and I usually make an extra batch while I'm cooking the first one to freeze for a quick breakfast for my hungry men.

These can be cooled wrapped and put in freezer to be toasted and enjoyed on a busy morning when there isn't time to cook!

Karla Billdt works as a personal chef and owns Karla's Kreations in Yuma.