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Think Buttermilk! A Summer Cooking Staple

Foodie Friday

May 20, 2011 by Rebecca Crichton

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I’m a buttermilk devotee. Especially in the summertime, this old-fashioned ingredient becomes an essential staple in my refrigerator. And unlike some of the more exotic ingredients I have to search for on the internet or in specialty stores, you will always find buttermilk on the shelves of most grocery stores.

I like drinking it straight, with a sprinkle of salt or mixed with honey and lemon the way my daughter’s Danish dad learned to do as a child. And I use it for transforming all sorts of summer bounty into cooling, easy-to-prepare soups. And of course there is Buttermilk Pie – simple, sinful, totally delicious!

Here are three of my favorite Buttermilk recipes:

Moroccan Cold Tomato-Orange Soup

This is a simple assembly job and makes a great way to begin a summer meal.

Ingredients

1 Cup good quality orange juice

1 Cup good quality tomato juice

1 Cup buttermilk

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 Tsp. ground cinnamon

1 Tsp. ground cumin

Directions

Mix ingredients together well, chill and serve in cups. You can sprinkle a bit more cinnamon on top. Serves 3-4

Salad Soup

I hate wasting good food. This resulted from not wanting to throw away fabulous left-over salads. Now I always make extra salad so I can have this soup the next day. It never tastes the same because the salad ingredients are always different. But you’ll get the hang of it once you try it.

Ingredients

2 cups leftover salad of any kind: mixed lettuces and vegetables, tomatoes, herbs, any kind of dressing.

1-2 cups buttermilk

Directions

Put everything in the food processor and blend until smooth. Taste for the right balance of sour and creamy. You can add garlic, fresh herbs and lemon juice to pop the flavors up. Chill and serve.

Buttermilk Pie

Ingredients

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons flour

1 Cup sugar

1 stick butter, melted

1 Cup buttermilk

1 Tablespoon Vanilla

Single 8 inch pie crust (A good quality frozen kind can work just fine)

Directions

Mix eggs, flour and sugar together.

Add vanilla, melted butter and buttermilk and blend well.

Pour into uncooked pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour until custard sets and knife comes out clean and the top is nicely brown. Cool.

Serve this with a dollop of whipped cream of some berries or peaches on the side.

Enjoy!

Graphic credit: Prevention

About the Author

Rebecca Crichton Has Written 40 Articles For Us!

I try to stay aware of one main concept: We see things through different lenses. We get caught in our own belief systems and most of us are pretty attached to being right. I am one of those inveterate Life Long Learners. I like new ideas, new experiences, new people, new challenges.

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