At Wednesday July 16th Main Street Farmers Market I ate nine different pies as part of the judging for the Berry Festival Pie Baking Contest. Did I feel a bit sick after? Well yes, but I am a pro so even if the pie was awesome I only took a bite. Except for one – The Last Crumb Buttermilk  Berry Pie. This pie was amazing and I ate it ALL! I’ve included the recipe below as well and it seems I wasn’t the only one who thought it a worthy entry as the pie took first place.

Winning RECIPE – Buttermilk Berry Chess Pie from The Last Crumb

Crust:
150 g walnuts
150 g graham cracker crumbs
30 g honey
1 tbsp golden yellow sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
58 g butter, melted
pinch of kosher salt
white chocolate
Filling:
3 eggs
200 g sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tbsp flour
75 g butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp cinnamon
pinch of kosher salt
2 cups mixed fresh local berries
coarse sugar to cover surface
Method:
Combine the walnuts and the graham cracker crumbs in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the walnuts are the size of oat flakes. Add the golden yellow sugar, salt and cinnamon and pulse to combine. Add the honey and the melted butter and pulse to moisten the crumbs.
Pour the mixture into a 10” pie plate or a 9” fluted deep dish tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of pan; making sure to evenly distribute the crumbs. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Allow to cool completely. Melt some white chocolate in the microwave and brush over the sides and bottom of crust to create a moisture barrier for the custard. Set aside.
For the custard; combine the eggs and sugar and beat until the mixture is thick and very light-coloured using a stand or hand mixer. Beat in the flour, buttermilk, cinnamon, vanilla, and melted butter. Add the berries to the empty crust. Pour the custard into the waiting shell and give it a stir to distribute the berries. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40minutes or until the custard is set in the centre but still a little wobbly.
Set the pie aside and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate the pie overnight to set completely.
Before serving sprinkle the top of the pie evenly with coarse sugar. Using a small blowtorch or the preheated broiler in your oven melt the sugar until it caramelizes. Be very careful to watch the sugar if it is in the broiler, once it starts to caramelize it will go quickly and can burn instead.