Chess Pie – Thanksgiving Pie 1

This recipe is yet another one I modified slightly from one in my mom’s recipe box; it is originally from my grandmother.  This is going to be my Thanksgiving dessert – because pumpkin/squash pie isn’t a favorite.  I was going to make this into a butternut squash chess pie, but it got vetoed by the folks who will be eating it.

Start with a baked pie crust – I’m going with a traditional lard pie crust.  Roll out the pastry, and grease a pyrex pan, or tin, or whatever pie vessel you want.  Put the pastry in, flute the top – crimping between two fingers with your thumb.

Spray the shiny side of tin foil with cooking spray, or butter, and line the pie.  Fill with beans or pie weights, and bake at 
for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling.

Take the pie crust out, then drop the temperature to 370° F.

Carefully remove the tin foil and pie weights.

1.0 Chess Pie Filling

Ingredients:

• Pie crust
• 1 Cup _________________ Sugar
• 2 ____________________ Eggs (normal, not jumbo)
• 1 TBSP   _______________ cornmeal
• ¹⁄₂ Cup ________________ whole milk
• 2 TBSP _________________ Butter
• 1 ¹⁄₄ tsp _________________ nutmeg (fresh is better)
• 1 ¹⁄₂ tsp __________________ flour

Instructions:

• Pre-heat the oven to 375 ° F
• Crack the eggs, and whisk with the sugar (in a medium to large bowl)
• Mix the flour, cornmeal, spices, butter, and milk, in a sauce pan and bring to a simmer, whisking to make sure there are no lumps.
• Add a little of the warm milk mixture to the eggs, and whisk, so you don’t scramble the eggs.
• Add in more warm milk mixture, till about half has been mixed in, and make sure to get to goopy stuff off the bottom of the pan.
•  Whisk.
• Pour into the pie crust.
• Bake for 40 minutes.  Check it at 30, and if the crust is getting to dark, cover the edges with foil.
• Remove and let cool.