Chess Pie is southern specialty made with simple ingredients most of us have on hand in the pantry these days, but sugar is one staple that wasn’t always so available.
In fact, it was quite a rarity in the late 1700s and early 1800s. If you were fortunate to have it, the sugar was kept locked in a Sugar Chest with the key guarded by the woman of the house.
Pies were kept in a Pie Chest or Pie Safe for the same reason: they were treasures by including all that delicious sugar. The legend goes that the southern drawl eventually dropped off the “t” and Chest Pie became Chess Pie.
In all fairness, there is some debate over the exact origins of the name, but this version seems the most plausible to me.
Another version has the plantation cook responding shyly when praised for the dessert that it’s ‘J’es pie!’ and that’s how the name stuck.
Either way, this is one delicious sweet that has captured the culinary hearts of Kentuckians and other southerners for more than 200 years.
I make this dessert for fancy dinner parties as well as simple suppers. It wears well no matter what the occasion. It’s always a hit, and every time I make it, someone requests the recipe. There’s not much to it, but anytime you put butter, sugar, and eggs together, you know the outcome will have a rich custardy taste, and that’s exactly what you get here. There is the classic version (my favorite) or you can add lemon if you like a little tart with your sweet.
Chess Pie
1 ¼ cups of sugar (raw or organic)
4 country eggs (the rich orange yolk from country eggs really make this pie)
1 stick of butter, melted
1 tablespoon of vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon cornmeal
5 tablespoons whole milk
1 unbaked 9-inch shell
*For lemon chess, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice and two teaspoons of finely shredded lemon peel.
Combine sugar and eggs with a wire whisk. Mix well. Add remaining ingredients. Pour into an unbaked crust.
Bake in preheated oven on 350 for 40 minutes. Remove from oven when center doesn’t jiggle. Allow the pie to cool for two hours. You can refrigerate, but I like it best served at room temperature or slightly warm.
Chess pie is such a southern staple that I had to include it in my novel Grounded. For other recipes that are included in the book, please see my website at www.angelacorrell.com
You will also find other southern specialties there like country ham and biscuits with red-eye gravy. Red-eye gravy? Yep, the gravy includes coffee and is super easy to make. Check it out on the website.
So, if you like salty on the front end with a nice sweet ending, why not serve both for you holiday dinner. It’s a Kentucky tradition and we are mighty pleased to share.
You may be tempted to lock this pie away, but it’s too good not to share. It’s always a success with your family and guests.
So, just remember: Chess for Success.
Did you know pies used to be kept in a pie safe? Learn more with @angela_correll @notquiteamish
Click To Tweet - Powered By CoSchedule
21 Days of Favorite Family Recipes
Day 1: Sunbonnet Cake with Vannetta Chapman
Day 2: Bacon, Egg, & Cheese Casserole with Amy Clipston
Day 3: Sugar Cookies with Lisa Bogart
Day 4: Cheesecake with Carey Bailey
Day 5: Instant Russian Tea with Marty Walden
Day 6: Cranberry Bread with Marie Dittmore
Day 7: Gluten-Free Coffee Cake with Elizabeth Byler Younts
Day 8: Hot Drink Bar by Gina Smith
Day 9: Turkey Stew with Amy Lillard
Day 10: Chicomando with Christy Fitzwater
Day 11: Grandma’s Apple Pie with Leslie Gould
Are you new here? You might want to subscribe to our email updates, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.