Chess Pie

I can't think of a simpler, more delicious pie than Chess Pie. I can't really say that I know WHAT a chess pie is exactly. It's some type of custard base, and from the research I've done, it seems to be a fairly old tradition. No one knows exactly how it got its name. It just sort of IS. I had never heard of it until I started working at a BBQ restaurant in Athens, Ala., the summer I turned 19 years old. A lady came in to bake pies for the day - chess, chocolate, and coconut were her specialties, I think. It looked pretty good, and so one day I bit the bullet and bought a piece. Oh. My. Gosh. It just melted in my mouth. I had never had anything like it. So several years ago, I decided to search for a recipe. And I found one that just screamed "this is how your grandmother and your grandmother's grandmother made this pie!" I printed it out, and baked my first chess pie. I've always had good reviews over it, and frankly, I'm pretty fond of it myself. I use my Pie Crust recipe for the crust, and it is so flaky and yummy.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 Tbsp white vinegar

1/2 Tbsp vanilla (1 1/2 tsp)

1 Tbsp cornmeal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat the butter and sugars over medium heat just until melted.

Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. If you don't, the eggs will cook a little when you add them - you don't really want chunks of "scrambled egg" in your pie! Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Add the eggs - you can add them one at a time and stir after each addition, or if your mixture is cool enough then you can add them all at once. Either way, just ensure the eggs are thoroughly incorporated. Add the vinegar and cornmeal and mix. 

***Do not beat the mixture.***

Pour in unbaked pie crust. Bake for 1 hour. If you have trouble with your crust edges cooking too quickly, then cover them with aluminum foil for most of the cooking, remove 15 minutes or so before cook time is complete. Turn off the oven and let pie rest in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely and set before cutting.