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Granny's Buttermilk Pie

1/2 cup butter
1 1/3 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
3 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
salt
1 recipe for 8 oz. pie pastry, partially baked (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 325° F. Cream the butter and sugar well and add the egg yolks, one by one. Beat in flour and buttermilk and add the lemon juice and nutmeg with a pinch of salt. Whip the egg whites until stiff and fold into the filling. Pour the filling into the partially baked pie pastry and cook in the middle level of the pre-heated oven until the custard is set and slightly brown, about 1 hour. Serve topped with fresh fruit such as peaches, strawberries, or blueberries and slightly sweetened whipped cream. Fresh fruit sauces are also excellent with this.
Pie Pastry
for 8 ounces of dough - yields one 9-inch pie crust

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons lard
2 to 3 tablespoons cold water
flour for rolling out dough
Sift the flour, salt, and sugar together into a mixing bowl. Cut the butter and lard into 1/2-inch squares. Add to the flour and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and incororate the fat into the flour with the fingertips or a blending fork. Work quickly and lightly. All the flour should be cream colored (no longer white) and coarse as cornmeal, but the fat may remain in small pellets. Sprinkle the cold water over and bind, using a fork. Pat the dough together into a cake, wrap airtight in waxed paper or plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling out.

For a partially baked pastry shell:
After chilling, roll out dough thinly on a lightly floured surface, form into pan , and return to refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375° F. Remove pan from refrigerator and line the pie shell with aluminum foil, pressing gently against the edges so the crust will maintain its edge. Distribute 1 pound of dried beans or rice in the aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes on lowest level of oven, carfully remove the foil and beans, and bake 5 more minutes, or until the dough no longer seems raw, but has alight crust. It is now ready for the filling. (The beans or rice may be reused for future crusts by letting them cool and keeping them in a dry container with lid, such as a coffee can.)

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- Jacques Lucien Monod