Chess Pie (American South)

Gooey, buttery, and supremely sweet, the chess pie has been a staple of the Southern dessert table for a couple hundred years. The recipe always calls for butter, sugar, and eggs, but bakers differ when it comes to the thickening agent: Some prefer flour, while others prefer cornmeal, but ours uses both. How Did It Get It's Name? It's texture is similar to a certain type of European cheesecake and rumor has it that Southerners were mispronouncing "cheese pie" to sound more like chess and that's how the pie got its name.

Pastry:
1 recipe Pâte Sucrée (French Sweet Shortcrust)
pie weights or dried beans
aluminum foil

Filling:
2 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. cornmeal
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour, unbleached
¼ tsp. sea salt
½ cup butter, melted
¼ cup milk
1 Tbsp. white vinegar
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten

Garnish:
confectioners' sugar

Preheat an oven to 425°F (220°C/200°C fan, Gas Mark 7).

Make the Pastry:
Roll out pie crust and place in a 9" round pie dish. Trim and crimp edges and poke bottom of crust all over with a fork. Place in freezer to chill for 15 minutes.

Place parchment paper inside pie crust and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until golden about 15 minutes, then carefully remove parchment and pie weights and bake 10 minutes more. Let cool while making pie filling.

Reduce oven temperature to 325°F (165°C/140°C fan, Gas Mark 3).

Make the Filling:
In a large bowl whisk eggs and sugar together. Add melted butter, milk, vinegar, and vanilla and whisk until incorporated. Add cornmeal, flour, and salt and whisk until combined.

Pour filling into pie crust and bake until just set in the middle, about 50 minutes.

Let cool at room temperature, then place in refrigerator until ready to serve, at least 4 hours, for best flavour.

Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Cook's Notes:

How do I best store chess pie and how long will it keep? Chess pie should be stored in the refrigerator. After taking it out of the oven, let it cool at room temperature for a few hours and then place in the refrigerator. This will help prevent the top from cracking. This pie will stay good for about 5 days in the fridge.

Can I Add Other Flavourings? Chess pie is traditionally only flavoured with vanilla, but its simple base pairs well with a lot of different flavours. Add fresh orange juice in place of the vinegar or use coffee or maple extracts in place of the vanilla. Have fun with it.