a tough act to follow

My grandmother Nell is the toughest woman I know. She probably would not describe herself as such, but from my perspective two generations down, I know she is. She is seventy nine years old, still runs a cattle ranch, can turn leftovers into a meal for twenty six, and has a no-nonsense approach to life in general. She makes oatmeal the old way (on the stove, with lots of butter), makes the best rolls I have ever had, and knows more about Kappa Kappa Gamma (our sorority) and Baylor University than I could ever even learn. She also embodies a frank honesty worth appreciating in this overly saccharine South. She passed along this recipe for her Buttermilk Pie to me, albeit rather unscientifically, so I hope it at least almost measures up.

Nell’s Buttermilk Pie

Unbaked pie crust

3 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

½ cup melted butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 ½ cups sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

Whisk together all the ingredients and pour into pie shell (prick the pie crust with a fork before you pour in mixture). Bake at 350 º for about an hour.