Best Beths Chess Pie Recipes

CHOCOLATE CHESS PIE

Steps:

• Combine flour and salt; cut in butter and shortening until crumbly. Gradually add ice water, tossing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Shape dough into a disk. Wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or overnight., On a floured surface, roll dough to fit a 9-in. pie plate. Trim and flute edge. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425°. Line unpricked crust with a double thickness of foil. Fill with pie weights. Bake on a lower oven rack until light golden brown, 15-20 minutes. Remove foil and weights; bake until bottom is golden brown, 3-6 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven setting to 325°., In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugars, melted chocolate, milk, flour and vanilla. Gradually whisk in butter. Pour into crust. Cover edge with foil to prevent overbrowning., Bake at 325° until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Remove foil. Cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate, covered, for 3 hours or until chilled.

CHESS PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the piecrust into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate (no more than 1 ¼" deep). Tuck the edges under and crimp as desired. Freeze for 20 minutes. Prick the bottom of the crust 8-10 times, all over, with a fork.
• Line the frozen piecrust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes just until the edges of the crust are dry. Carefully remove the paper with weights. Return to the oven for 3-5 minutes until the bottom of the crust is dry and the edges just start to turn light brown. Let cool slightly. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
• Place the melted butter and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the eggs, then the cornmeal and flour. Add the milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract and pinch of salt and mix to combine.
• Carefully pour the filling into the crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the edges and center of pie are set completely. (Tent the pie with foil towards the end if either the crust or surface of the pie look darker than golden brown). Let the pie cool completely, about 2 hours. Garnish with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, if desired.

OLD-FASHIONED CHESS PIE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and egg. Add cornmeal and flour until well blended. Beat in milk and vanilla (do not over beat). Pour into the pastry shell. , Bake at 325° for 55-65 minutes or until the filling is almost set. Cool on a wire rack. , For topping, heat 1/2 cup sugar in a small heavy saucepan over low heat without stirring until partially melted, about 5 minutes. Cook and stir with a metal spoon until syrup is completely melted and golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the milk, butter and remaining sugar (mixture will be lumpy). Cook over medium heat, stirring until a candy thermometer reads 234° (soft-ball stage). Remove from the heat. , Pour into a small bowl without stirring. Cool, without stirring, to 190°. Beat on high speed until mixture turns light brown and creamy and a candy thermometer reads 130°-137°, about 5 minutes. Immediately spread over pie. Store in the refrigerator.

CHESS PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425° F.
• Unroll pie crust in ungreased 9-inch pie plate; press firmly against side and bottom. Fold over excess dough along edges, and pinch to seal; flute edges or press down with fork.
• Place sheet of cooking parchment paper on top of pie crust; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake crust 5 minutes, then remove parchment paper and beans. Bake another 2 to 3 minutes or until crust is just set and golden brown. Set aside to cool slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 350° F.
• Meanwhile, in large bowl, stir granulated sugar, cornmeal, flour, salt, melted butter, milk, vinegar and vanilla until well combined. In small bowl, beat eggs slightly, then add to sugar mixture; stir until well combined.
• Pour filling into pie crust. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until filling is set and top of pie is deep golden brown. If crust edges brown too quickly during baking, cover edges with foil.
• Cool pie about 1 hour or until completely cooled on cooling rack before cutting. Sprinkle with powdered sugar just before serving.

CHESS PIE

Steps:

• Prepare the pie crust: Generously butter a 10-inch round, fluted tart pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, salt, black pepper and lemon zest. Working quickly, rub the cold butter into the dry mixture using your fingers or a pastry cutter. Cut the butter into the flour until the pieces are the size of small pebbles. (Alternatively, use a food processor to pulse the dry ingredients with the butter.) Add the egg yolks and the cold water. Using your hands, combine just until the dough comes together in clumps. Gather dough into a ball; flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and chill at least 30 minutes.
• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out chilled dough between two sheets of parchment or on a lightly floured surface to a 12-inch round. Using the rolling pin, transfer dough into the prepared tart pan. Press the dough into the fluted sides and trim any overhang to 1/4 inch above the pan. Chill the dough again for at least 20 minutes.
• Line the pie dough with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is lightly browned along the edges and beginning to firm up, about 18 minutes. Remove the pie weights and parchment and bake for another 5 minutes to lightly brown the edges. Press down the surface with the back of a spoon if the crust bubbles. Allow the crust to cool completely before filling. Adjust the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• As the crust cools, prepare the filling: Whisk together eggs, yolks, sugar, cornmeal, lemon juice and zest and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in buttermilk and the melted butter.
• Place the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet and carefully pour the filling into the cooled pie shell. Bake until the filling is set and jiggles slowly when the tart pan is moved back and forth, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool pie completely before slicing. Top with a dusting of powdered sugar and serve at room temperature or cold, with some whipped heavy cream on the side.