My Blueberry Night, or Google-what-you-have-in-the-refrigerator Pie*

* I had two movies playing in my head last night when I made this pie.  I figured it's my blog, so why do I have to choose which one to allude to in the title?!

I had quite a bit of buttermilk leftover from the scallion biscuits I made last week, and since I have a compulsive need to not waste food, I had to find something to do with the rest of the it.  Also in my refrigerator was half a carton of whipping cream, a bit of ricotta, a container of blue berries from the farm share, and an open container of maple syrup.

So made a maple buttermilk pie.

My thrown-together recipe is an homage to Elise's Fourth of July Buttermilk Pie.  The recipe is hers, with some variations. 

Here's what I used: 4 eggs; 1/2 cup white sugar; 1/4 cup maple syrup; 1 teaspoon lemon zest; 1 tablespoon flour; 1/8 cup of melted butter; 1 cup buttermilk; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 unbaked pie crust; 2/3 cup whipping cream; 1/4 cup of ricotta; and a carton of blueberries.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  In a mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, and lemon zest until well combined.  Add the flour and melted butter.  Beat in the vanilla, maple syrup, and buttermilk.  (Note: Make sure the butter is really melted, though not hot to the touch; I was lazy and left mine partially creamy, and it made the custard mix weirdly curdled-looking.  It tasted and looked fine at the end, but why take the chance?)

Pour the custard mix into the uncooked pie shell.  (To minimize spillage, you might want to fill the pie shell 3/4 full, then put it in the oven before topping off.)  Bake at 325 for 50 minutes, until the center is set; the custard might still be a bit jiggly, but make sure the center is not jigglier than the sides.  Remove from the oven and cool.  Try to resist licking or touching the custard.

Whip the chilled cream until it holds stiff peaks, then add in the ricotta cheese and a tablespoon of maple syrup.  Once the pie is at room temperature, spread the cream topping over the pie, arrange blueberries in a decorative pattern, and invite people over to ooh and aah over your accomplishment.

You might even allow them to eat some pie.

After all, despite how weird it seems, it's actually quite a good pie.  The custard has a trace of lemon and maple; the buttermilk gives it a bright, fresh note that you might not expect of such a heavy-looking pie.  The ricotta cream topping is a rich counterpoint to the custard, and is a complementary base for the tart blueberries.

What have you been doing with your blueberries this season?