Monday, January 25, 2010

Lemon Chess Pie

I'm sure you're all tired of me whining that pie is not in my DNA. I'm still not all that good at the whole crust thing. But at least I've found a crust recipe that my dearly beloved adores, and his opinion matters the most, and I've learned that at least with one crust pies, it doesn't matter quite as much how the crust looks. Which is a good thing, because mine look clumsy, inept and downright stupid.

But I digress. The Blond Duck, a talented purveyor of whimsy, pointed out last week that Saturday was National Pie Day. After Chan wrote about Peppermint Pie and Louise gave us an entire day devoted to pie, I had no real choice except to make pie on Saturday. But what kind?

The cookbook my eldest son's girlfriend gave me for Thanksgiving yielded an answer: Lemon Chess Pie. I'd seen a couple of other recipes, which looked rather complex to me, but this one had fewer ingredients, so I gave it a whirl. My husband declared this the very best pie ever, and ordered me to produce it again SOON. There you have it: Make This Pie Soon!

LEMON CHESS PIE

1 Pie crust, unbaked
4 eggs
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 cups sugar
2 tbsp cornmeal
3 tbsp flour

1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp lemon or orange zest

Lightly beat the eggs, then add the butter and buttermilk. Stir together the dry ingredients, and beat them into the egg mixture with the lemon juice and vanilla. Stir in the orange zest, pour into the unbaked pie shell, and bake at 375F for 40 to 50 minutes. Cool to room temperature and serve with whipped cream, if desired.

I don't know why this is called a chess pie. I do know that it's very filling. I also believe that you could substitute cornstarch for the flour, put in a ground nut crust (similar to a crumb crust), and it would be gluten free for people like my friend Paula's baby. And, as I said, this is really easy!

I hope you all had a wonderful National Pie Day, with or without pie.

14 comments:

George Gaston said...

Marjie, what a spectacular looking pie! I had always thought of a chess Pie as a cheese-less cheesecake, but yours looks like an amazing custard pie.

I am definitely give this a try. Great pie crust recipe, by the way...

Christo Gonzales said...

looks good to me - plus a pie thats also a meal - bullseye!

SissySees said...

I want to do a little research on what makes a pie a CHESS pie. I'd thought it was cornstarch, but I've been told that's wrong... ??

Paula said...

I've heard of chess pie, but have never had it! It looks divine! I love it when you share feedback from your hubby. With all the amazing food and deserts you feed him, he's a lucky man, for sure! Thanks, too, for the tip about ways to accommodate this recipe for my wee one. The only problem is that I may eat it all without sharing a single bite! hehe

Jenna ("Foo") said...

Wow...I didn't even know it was National Pie Day or whatever, and I still ended up making my first pie this weekend. I have struggled with it a long time, but I finally made one the other day. I am trying to find good recipes to practice, so I'm looking forward to make this lemon chess pie. I'll let you know how it goes!

Linda said...

I haven't made one of these in YEARS!! Thanks for reminding me. My pies aren't "pretty" either but they're still pretty good in the taste department.

buffalodick said...

Looks great, and easy to make! Why Chess Pie? I don't know..

Pam said...

You are way better at crusts than I am. I think this sounds tasty - I love anything with lemon.

The Blonde Duck said...

Huzzah! Hooray for you and for pie!

A.Marie said...

I love lemon, anything lemon, and this looks really yummy! :)

Chronicles of Dolliedaydream said...

Marjie we need a National Pie Day in the UK! xxx

pam said...

Yummy, a good, filling pie!

~~louise~~ said...

Just when I decided I would never prepare a Lemon Meringue Pie again, you indulge my senses with this wonderful Lemon Chess Pie.

It looks so darn good Marjie. I can hardly contain myself. I went to that crust link you left too. Definitely two keepers!!!

Thanks for the link and for sharing...

P.S. I think I'll do a quick post about Chess Pie. I found some good info in one of my books:)

Ann Made Studio said...

Looks great!