Taste of the Ozarks: Chess Pie

June 13, 2012

CHESS PIE

(close kin to ‘vinegar pie’ and ‘buttermilk pie”)

From “Baked Alaska”, a cookbook of desserts I bought in Alaska. Because of the long, confining, frozen winters, communities kept their sanity by getting together for potlucks as often as possible. This is the favorite contribution of Peter Fitzmaurice, chief ranger for the Kenai Fjords National Park – 600,000 acres of glaciers, fjords, islands, whales, sea lions and nesting puffins.

The pie probably originated in England, and is very popular in the Southern US. The name might be: 1) related to Chester England, 2) in answer to ‘what’s the name of this pie’, the baker said “Oh, it’s jist pie” - that’s Southern for “just pie”, or 3) because it lasted so well in the old pie chests, it may have meant “chest pie”.

Don’t make this pie if you don’t like sweet, rich desserts – this pie is almost like a Pecan pie without the pecans. Without exception, it is the pie that’s eaten first at every gathering. One pie can actually be cut into 10 pieces, it’s that rich.

Jo Manhart, Missouri Egg Council (573)874-3138

Peter’s recipe:

For the crust – us any homemade or purchased 9” pie crust. Peter’s recipe uses a Graham Cracker crust – whichever crust you use, don’t bake it in advance.

Filling: (pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees)

6 egg yolks (put the whites in a small container and freeze – when thawed, a perfect meringue)

1 cup (two sticks) butter

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

¼ tsp. ground nutmeg

It’s traditional not to use an electric mixer, simply beat the egg yolks with a hand egg beater, or a whisk, until thick and foamy. Set aside.

Place the whole sticks of butter in a medium saucepan, add the sugar, cook over medium heat, stirring until the butter melts and combines with the sugar. Allow to cool a few minutes, then VERY gradually whisk this mixture into the egg yolks, followed by the vanilla and nutmeg.

Pour into the unbaked crust and bake about 90 minutes. The filling will thicken into a firm, almost translucent custard with a thin crust on top. A knife inserted into the filling should come out clean. Allow to cool thoroughly before serving. Some recipes say to turn off the oven at the end of 90 minutes and allow the pie to cool in the oven - that would allow a soft center firm up. A small, cream-colored slice of Chess Pie looks anemic on a white dessert plate. Use a dark plate, or doll it up with some bright flower beside it. This does NOT need a topping, it’s like eating vanilla fudge.

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