Chess pie recipe
Baking has never been my strength. Perhaps it’s because I’m impatient or perhaps it’s because I have a hard time following directions, but when it comes to pastries, where precision is key, I leave those culinary tasks to the experts, namely my mom and my grandmother.
I’ve mentioned before my grandmother’s skill with pies. For as long as I can remember, I’ve stood by her side and watched her effortlessly roll out crusts and whip up fabulous fillings with seldom a measuring cup or spoon in sight. I’d like to have her ability as pies are one of my favorite desserts.
But even when I use her recipes for guidance, mine always fall a bit short. Of course, with practice comes perfection. And if I had been baking pies for as long and as often as she has, I would probably be more proud of my efforts. But since I attempt one only a couple of times a year, I still have far to go in my pie-baking development.
One of my favorite pies is chess pie, a lemony, custardy delight. It’s an old dish that is made with the simplest ingredients. Yet its humble origins belie the sweet and rich results. This is a pastry that harks back to my ancestors, and while the birth of its name is enshrouded in mystery, it doesn’t have anything to do with the game of kings.
Instead, some say that it may be named after the town of Chester, England as its lineage goes back to classic English tarts. Southern food historian John T. Edge has said, however, that the name could either hail from the word “chest” as in pie chest or that it’s a rendition of how a Southerner would sound if saying, “It’s jes pie.”
But even if its name is a puzzle, there’s nothing enigmatic about this pie’s flavor: simply put, it tastes divine. And since half the ingredients—eggs, lemon juice and corn meal—are yellow, not to mention, there’s such comfort and warmth in a homemade slice of pie, I thought it would make a fine contribution to a roundup of yellow treats. Now this isn’t diet food, but it is pure in its simplicity as it’s made with whole, fresh ingredients. And as my ancestors lived long lives eating dishes such as these, I could do worse than emulating some of their dining habits.
As you can see from the photos, the pie I baked won’t take the prize for looks. But what it lacks in beauty it more than makes up for in flavor. And after one creamy and bright bite, you’ll realize that this pie isn’t made for beholding, it’s made for devouring. So I tip my fork to the amazing women who came before me, and thank them for such a fantastic food heritage, and whose great strength inspired me to tackle the minute challenge of baking a yellow chess pie.
Chess pie
Ingredients
Ingredients for the pie crust:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
Ingredients for the pie filling:
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon yellow corn meal
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup freshly squeeze lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
Instructions
- To make the crust, whisk together the flour and salt. Mix the oil and milk together and then pour into the flour and stir until well combined. If it’s too dry, you can add more milk. Roll the crust out between two sheets of wax paper, and then line a pie pan with the crust.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- To make the pie filling, on low heat melt the butter. Pour the butter into a mixing bowl and stir in the sugar. Beat the eggs with the corn meal, vanilla, lemon juice, and zest.
- Add the egg mixture to the butter and sugar, and mix well. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for 50 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
- Let cool for 20 minutes (so filling can set).
Thanks for posting the pics of what will be my Mother’s Day dessert. I love chess pie! My husband insists on coconut in his so I always make two – good thing we’re having company. Thanks again.
WOW! Besides this being a unique cake (for me) it looks wonderfully yellow. Just lovely!
I love checking out all these variou syellow recipes for this event. I did a cupcake for it, but now rethinking it. I love this pie and would love to make a cupcake take on it!
As always, a wonderful post!
This sound fantastic – I’m also quite intrigued by the use of cornmeal!
Pille-Thanks! Yes, the name is curious, but it doesn’t take away from the flavor!
Freya–I do too! It may seem odd, but it makes the pie all the more Southern for me.
Daesylady–I’ve seen recipes that add buttermilk, but that always confuses me as to where the line is drawn between chess pies and buttermilk pies–the two are very similar. Thanks for educating the people of MN about an excellent dessert.
Lori–It’s super easy to make, the hardest part is rolling out the crust. As for my camera, I use a Nikon D200 with manual lenses that I’ve had forever. The lens I use most often (and for these photos) is an ancient macro 55m. It belonged to my grandpa, and he graciously “loaned” it to me when he switched to automatic lenses a few years ago.
Tim–That’s funny that you thought “cheese” because there are some who think that the name might be a variation on that as well. Even though there’s no cheese in the pie, just lots of dairy.
Kalyn–Thanks! Your such an accomplished cook I’m surprised that your not more of a baker.
Sam—Clear as mud….pie. And now I’m going to have to research this Chester Cake you speak of. I’m intrigued!
Gilly–Thanks, it’s funny, I’ve been wanting to bake one of these for a while, and when I realized that yes, so many ingredients are yellow it seemed the timing was right!
Olivia–Oh, your mother’s pie sounds delicious–I love the combination of the applesauce with the ground almonds. And if you see this, a reader was going on about how excellent the El Paso Cafe is in London. Have you tried it?
N.–I’m sure there are countless variations across the South, I’d love to see your recipe. Do you put vinegar in it? I know some people that do.
Myanderings–You’re welcome. It’s perfect for Mother’s Day!
Meeta–Thanks! I reckon it’s probably not very common over in Germany, but it’s tasty nonetheless.
Garrett–Oh, you are such the cupcake master, I’d love to see how you transform this pie into one!
Joe–I think the cornmeal just adds a slight bit of texture and helps with thickening the custard. You really can’t taste it.