Bootsie’s Buttermilk Pie

Chef Elaine Martin opened Eastside Cafe in 1988, and it has been one of Austin, Texas’s most beloved restaurants for more than 27 years. Featuring American comfort food served in a charming bungalow in the heart of the city, Eastside is known for well-executed home-style Southern food and seasonal specials. Bootsie’s Buttermilk Pie is one of the restaurant’s signature desserts and a famous recipe featured in its Fresh & New, Tried & True cookbook. A cult favorite among Eastside’s customers, Bootsie’s Buttermilk Pie is a buttermilk chess pie with a crispy top and a warm gooey center, topped with sweet strawberries. Now you can make it at home, too.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp. milk

Filling:
2 cups sugar
1/4 lb. butter, cut into cubes
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Topping:
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 tsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt. Add canola oil and milk. Stir into a ball of dough. Press dough evenly into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Dock the pie crust on the bottom and sides with a fork. Chill for 30 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool completely.

In a mixer, cream the sugar and butter for 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time. Add buttermilk, flour and vanilla. Mix for 2 minutes until all ingredients are combined. Lower oven to 325 degrees. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake for 50 minutes. Allow to cool completely before cutting.

Wash and slice strawberries into a bowl. Toss with sugar. Top pie with sliced strawberries.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Eastside Cafe’s cookbook Fresh & New, Tried & True.