Just Pie … Chess Pie
August 6, 2008
Just Pie? (Used by permission of Lisa Fain)
Sweet foods haunt many childhood food memories. And usually pie stands high on any list of sweet memories. Sadly, pie-making is fast becoming a lost American art form. Too bad, really, because although the early English settlers brought basic pie-making techniques with them, the culinary skills of the colonial American housewife elevated pie-making to a rarified art form. In hundreds of log cabins, farmhouses, and mansions, women of every socio-economic class invented light flaky pastry and hundreds of fillings.
Often, in isolated frontier farmhouses, the only edible thing in the cupboard seemed to be just pie. In the South, even when the pantry looked bare, housewives nearly always had on hand eggs, milk, and butter from the farmyard and maybe a little flour, sweetening, and lard. And so the “chess” pie sprang to life, a supreme example of “making do.” The name itself spawns a good story.
Some say “chess” pie is a corruption of “cheese” pie. Very similar to English lemon curd cheese tarts, “chess” pies no longer contain cheese. Other authorities suggest that “chess” pie really means “chest” pie. “Chess” pies, because of their high sugar content, could be stored in screened pie chests longer than fruit or other types of pies. Why? The high sugar content of the “chess” pie kept it safe from rapid spoilage. (Note: Sugar loves water and will, at certain concentrations, absorb so much that none remains available for bacterial growth to occur. Bacteria, like all life forms, need water to survive.)
But the best story about “chess” pies goes something like this: In answer to the endless questions of a hungry, clinging child, “What’s for dinner, Mama?,” a poor tired mama probably answered, “Jes’ pie, honey, jes’ pie,” as she whipped up the “chess” pie.
Sugary “chess” pies still make a cook’s life easy, especially today. Take your pick of many possible recipes; even a version entitled “Jefferson Davis Chess Pie” exists. Three of the best examples follow. Create your own version by switching flavorings around. For example, to make an Orange Chess Pie, substitute orange juice and rind for lemon in the “Lemon Chess Pie” recipe. And if the last pie-crust you made ended up everywhere but in the pie pan, use a ready-made crust. You’ll go back to your childhood with each bite of “chess” pie. Sweet memories guaranteed!
BROWN SUGAR PIE
6-8 servings
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 t. cornstarch
4 eggs
2 T. whipping cream
1 T. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 t. pure vanilla extract
6 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 9-inch pie shell, partially baked
1. Beat all ingredients together. Pour into pie shell.
2. Bake about 50-60 minutes until golden colored and slightly puffed. Pie will sink and become like thick jam when cool.
Serve at room temperature or chilled. Serve topped with vanilla ice cream if desired.
CHOCOLATE CHESS PIE
Serves 6-8
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 T. unsweetened cocoa
2 T. flour
1/4 t. salt
1/2 cup skim milk
3 eggs
6 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 t. vanilla
1 9-inch pie shell, partially baked
1. Follow instructions for mixing and baking “Brown Sugar Chess Pie”.
2. Serve topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, if desired.
LEMON CHESS PIE
Serves 6-8
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
4 eggs
4 T. whipping cream
4 T. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
4 T. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 t. grated lemon peel
1 partially baked 9-inch pie crust
1. Mix and bake as for “Brown Sugar Pie”.
2. Serve topped with whipped cream, if desired.
© 2008 C. Bertelsen
Stumble It!